Friday 15 October 2021

Loneliness + Age, Gender, Disability

By 2025, about two million of so-called over-50s will be experiencing loneliness - an increase of 49% in ten years. Almost 60% of those aged 85 and over live alone. Half a million older people spend at least five days a week without seeing anyone or talking to another person. Two fifths say that the television is the main company they have. Women report feeling lonely more often than men and  up to 50% of people with disabilities are lonely on any given day.

Anxiety, fear, helplessness and shame is what people feel when they describe what it is like to be lonely. These emotions can create a downward spiral since loneliness can make people withdraw more and more from friends and family. Loneliness also tends to make people anticipate fearful situations with a focus on what might be social rejection cues. Loneliness can also worsen when its causes are seen as permanent and not likely to change (via and via).

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photograph by Diane Arbus

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