Post by Mel on Feb 13, 2009 2:27:48 GMT -5
One Is The Loneliest Number
by Mamie Healey
It can make you sick, destroy your sleep, raise your blood pressure and shorten your life. Loneliness isn't just a temporary pang—it's a chronic emotional state that affects up to 15 percent of us. What one expert has called "the Antarctica of the soul" is finally starting to get the attention it deserves.
Take the Quiz
Are you lonely? Determine your loneliness quotient.
www.oprah.com/survey/omagazine/200606_omag_loneliness
Although almost every human being in history has been lonely, most of us aren't so great at helping someone else through it. Robert Weiss, PhD, the godfather of loneliness research, says once loneliness abates, amnesia sets in. Having forgotten the intensity of their own experience, many people cavalierly offer advice that would have sent them over the edge—"Be more outgoing!" or "Chin up!"—to others still struggling.
by Mamie Healey
It can make you sick, destroy your sleep, raise your blood pressure and shorten your life. Loneliness isn't just a temporary pang—it's a chronic emotional state that affects up to 15 percent of us. What one expert has called "the Antarctica of the soul" is finally starting to get the attention it deserves.
Take the Quiz
Are you lonely? Determine your loneliness quotient.
www.oprah.com/survey/omagazine/200606_omag_loneliness
Although almost every human being in history has been lonely, most of us aren't so great at helping someone else through it. Robert Weiss, PhD, the godfather of loneliness research, says once loneliness abates, amnesia sets in. Having forgotten the intensity of their own experience, many people cavalierly offer advice that would have sent them over the edge—"Be more outgoing!" or "Chin up!"—to others still struggling.
