Scientists say that in the 21st century, living alone does not mean being lonely

Scientists argue that loneliness is a myth, and people who are considered lonely do not feel unhappy and deprived these days. And as it turned out, social networks are "to blame" for this, as they fill the communication gap.

The Know Right website reports: "Scientists from the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena in a groundbreaking study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Development have revealed the diverse experiences of people living alone in Germany. The experiment lasted for three years and involved about 400 people, aged 35 to 60, from urban areas of Thuringia."

And the results, according to the publication, challenge the stereotype of loneliness, which is often incorrectly associated with living alone.

Social networks: The key to satisfaction

The study divided lonely people into four groups that differ in terms of well-being:

• Social butterflies (about a third of the participants), characterized by a high level of satisfaction due to active participation in social networks. These people communicate daily with a wide range of friends, relatives and acquaintances, including work colleagues and neighbors.

• Partnership-oriented participants (about 10%). They may not be heavily involved in social media, but they are deeply focused on their partnerships and also report high levels of well-being.
• Isolated, family-oriented people (25%): This group has limited social interaction, mostly with family members, and has lower levels of well-being.
• Loosely connected network participants (about 30%). Surprisingly, the most dissatisfied group is not those with a small social circle, but those with weak ties in the network, which leads to limited daily interaction.

Quality of social interactions is more important than quantity

The study showed that the number of social connections does not necessarily lead to well-being. On the contrary, the quality and regularity of these interactions play a crucial role.

Participants who kept a contact diary described the quality of their daily interactions.

Choice and satisfaction with living alone

An interesting finding was that about half of the respondents chose to live alone and are satisfied with this state of affairs.

This contrasts with those who are dissatisfied with living alone, emphasizing that personal choice has a significant impact on well-being.

Forming social relationships is key

Prof. Dr. Franz J. Neyer, one of the authors of the study, emphasizes that "living alone is not a sentence." The study shows that people in this case can lead a full life if they actively form and maintain their social relationships.

This proactive approach is evident in the group that reported positive experiences, indicating that regular social interaction can seriously mitigate feelings of loneliness.