The sun, the sea, olive groves and architectural beauty are not always cure for loneliness. A new study of the University of Emory, published by The New York Post , shows a paradox: most single people live not in rainy metropolitan areas, but in tourist rays - Greece and Cyprus.
Researchers interviewed 64,000 people from 29 countries and created the rating of the loneliest nations. The TOP-10 also included Slovakia, Italy, USA, Israel, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria and Latvia. In particular, in the United States, loneliness among middle -aged people turned out to be even higher than the retirees.
"There is a widespread belief that loneliness is a problem of old age. But in fact, those who are 40 than those who are 70 in the United States are more lonely," says Professor Robin Richardson.
The reasons are familiar: lack of stable work, problems with mental health, physical ailments and social isolation. But researchers warn that this is a global trend that covers all age categories.
Professor Estaban Calvo adds:
"Middle age people are often clamped between responsibilities - work, care for elderly parents, raising children - and suffer from a chronic lack of support."
This is also added a new social phenomenon - "The syndrome of lost benefit for girls . This concept describes the feelings of women who do not have a close women's company, as in the series "Sex and City" . On social networks, this fear is gaining popularity among 30+ women who confess that they feel isolated even in a digital day.
27-year-old Eliza Becker shares:
"I am used to doing many things alone. But there are times when there is a very lacking of the same 'girls' group that understands you from half a word."
Of course, technologies give new forms of communication, but they do not always replace true proximity. The conclusion of the study is unambiguous: loneliness is not age or geography. It is a world epidemic that requires attention, care and rethinking of modern social ties.
