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| Blogs > myelin36 > Dirty Little Secrets |
Lonely? This May Explain Why
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Lonely? This May Explain Why  Nobody likes feeling lonely, and recent research suggests that the ache of isolation isn’t only a psychological problem; unwanted solitude impacts physical health, too. Loneliness increases a person’s risk of mortality by 26 percent, an effect comparable to the health risks posed by obesity, according to a study published this spring in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Researchers led experiments with college students that demonstrated lonely people’s tendency to succumb to social pressure. Before they started, participants completed surveys that measured how lonely they were. In the end, the lonelier students did worse than the non-lonely students on the emotion-reading task — but only when they were told they were being tested on their social skills. When the lonely students were told they were just taking a general knowledge test, they performed better than the non-lonely. Previous research validates the research survey's findings: Past studies have suggested, for example, that the lonelier people are, the better they are at accurately reading facial expressions and decoding tone of voice. As the theory goes, lonely people may be paying closer attention to emotional cues precisely because of their ache to belong somewhere and form interpersonal connections, which results in technically superior social skills. Being hyper-focused on not screwing up can lead to over-thinking and second-guessing, which, of course, can end up causing the very screw-up the person was so bent on avoiding. It’s largely a matter of reducing performance anxiety. Researchers found one way to compensate for their lonely study participants, though, admittedly, it is maybe not exactly applicable outside of a lab. The researchers gave their volunteers an energy-drink-like beverage and told them that any jitters they felt were due to the caffeine they’d just consumed. (In actuality, the beverage contained no caffeine, but no matter — the study participants believed that it did.) They then did the emotion-reading test, just like in the first experiment. Compared to scores from that first experiment, there was no discernible difference in scores for the non-lonely, but the researchers saw an improvement among the lonely participants — even when the task had been framed as a social-skills test. What I found interesting was the recommendation that lonely people may be their own worst enemy with reinforcing loneliness. This recent research study indicates lonely people need to focus more on getting out of their own heads, so they can actually use skills they’ve got to form friendships and begin to find a way out of their isolation. As someone who can relate to feeling loneliness and isolation at times, the findings made sense. I find myself overthinking and in my head a lot. What do you think? |
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i think that's right on the money, sucks being alone. And at the same time i hate being right because i'm paying attention to people's expressions.But I've always been truthful weather it to be my benefit or not, sometimes the truth hurts.
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Thanks for sharing. There is a lot of food for thought here. The health risks associated with loneliness was pretty eye opening. I'm pretty isolated here due to work and I'm always putting off socializing to get other things done. I think I might have to make it more of a priority and try doing some things differently.
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definitely I am my own enemy "To Be Consumed" Blog : I want to be your drug of painful withdrawals.
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Yes, it definitely makes sense. My social skills could certainly improve.
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you think your lonely and therefore you are lonely....self-fulfilling prophecy! I concur with your ideas and the research you used! “Life is available only in the present moment.” Thich Nhat Hanh Come and read my blog! Become a watcher! veryfunnycple64 
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I've gotten over it. I'm perfectly fine being by myself. AB No Bozos
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I am very much my own worst enemy, even though I feel a victim of circumstances in my life a bit too. Aut viam inveniam aut faciam Tips for Guys to Meet Women  Things i miss most about relationships
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I joke about it with many of the female bloggers here, but I really do believe many OVER-think things. No one has ever accused me of being an OVER-thinker BTW.  Channeling Canadian Bloggers on HNW Silent Sex Floating through Life [post 3312759] My Private Blog – Tell me All your Secrets
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Your blog is always fascinating, Myelin36. Thank you for sharing another wonderful read. My featured post this week: Pulling Fantasy Sex Out of My Ass.
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