Search for a command to run...
Loneliness is nowadays considered to be one of the main problems in society. The negative \\nexperience of a discrepancy between the desired and the achieved personal network of \\nrelationships is common and affects both younger and older adults. This chapter first \\naddresses well-established aspects and new developments in the main concepts of loneliness \\nand social isolation, the measuring instruments and the prevalence of loneliness. The chapter \\ncontinues by an overview of theoretical ideas regarding loneliness, focusing on individuallevel \\nand societal predisposing characteristics as well as on genetic/evolutionary perspectives \\non the onset and continuation of loneliness. The main part of the chapter is dedicated to \\nempirical evidence from many sources and disciplines including psychology, sociology and \\nepidemiological sciences. The prevention of loneliness, coping and interventions are \\naddressed in the final part of the chapter. Other chapters in this volume address topics related \\nto loneliness, namely social rejection, the neuroscience of social disconnection, social \\nnetworks, and relationships and health (see Leary & Acosta, this volume; Cacioppo, this \\nvolume; Felmlee & Sinclair, this volume; and Holt-Lunstad, this volume).