Humans are social species, and forming social connections is our basic need. In ancestral times, humans survived by hunting and gathering in bands. During those times, loneliness could’ve easily meant death.
This is why when people lose a meaningful social connection, it can feel like death. The pain of loneliness experienced by losing a loved one can be intolerable.
Humans have a strong need to belong to their tribe. They have a need to be loved and accepted by their tribe. If they fail to make social connections, loneliness creeps in.
Loneliness is an immensely painful feeling. Most people experience phases of loneliness as their lives ebb and flow, but for some people, loneliness is persistent.
When intense loneliness is experienced over a long period (weeks, months, or even years), the person is suffering from chronic loneliness. Chronic loneliness has been linked to a range of physical and mental health problems.
Taking the chronic loneliness test
This test consists of 15 items on a 4-point scale ranging from Always to Never. Answer each item with weeks and months of your recent past in mind, not how you felt yesterday. The test is based on the common signs and symptoms of chronic loneliness.
The test is 100% confidential. Your results will only be visible to you. We don’t store your information or results in our database.
Hi, I’m Hanan Parvez (MA Psychology). I’ve been writing about Psychology for 9+ years. My work has been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Reader’s Digest, and Entrepreneur. If you have any queries, use the contact form or reach out to me on my socials.