LONELINESS

When all is said and done, the best guarantee of a long and healthy life may be the connections you have with other people.John Cacioppo, a neuroscientist at the University of Chicago and coauthor of a new book, Loneliness:Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection, talked with U.S. News about the latest research on how relationships affect physical health.

You point out that, oddly enough, loneliness also makes us less socially adept. How?
Lonely adults have the same social skills as nonlonely adults, but they don't deploy them as appropriately. We think that lonely individuals feel threatened, and because of that feeling of threat, they're not certain they can trust others. When you see something positive happening to others, you're not sure if you're included, so you're aloof, demanding, or critical.