Well I am alone but not lonely, movies tonight with a friend, 'Kingsman'.
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=138979&CultureCode=en
Whilst it may seem that there are no positives to draw from feeling
lonely, several authors have shown that this is not the case.
In the article ‘Evolutionary mechanisms for loneliness’, from the
journal Cognition & Emotion, authors John T. Cacioppo, Stephanie
Cacioppo & Dorret I. Boomsma explore how people in ‘happy’
relationships negatively view the lonely but suggest that loneliness in
fact promotes an individual’s genetic survival.
The authors report that the ‘lonely’ are viewed more negatively in
terms of their psychosocial functioning and attractiveness. In a social
environment non-lonely people form a negative impression towards lonely
people, which then affects their behaviour and reinforces the lonely
individual’s perceived isolated existence. Furthermore, individuals
rated opposite-gender partners who they expected to be lonely as less
sociable, and behaved towards them in a less sociable manner than they
did toward partners they expected not to be-lonely.
But despite the negativity towards lonely people, there is good news
for those feeling glum this Valentine’s Day. Although it may feel like
loneliness has no redeeming features, it promotes behavior change to
increase the likelihood of the survival of one’s genes.
Therefore loneliness is not so much a dysfunctional reaction as it is about promoting an individual’s genetic legacy.
*Read the full article online
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02699931.2013.837379#.UvilEPl_v_M
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