What's happening?

Do you ever feel lonely? If the answer is yes, you are not alone. Today, nearly half of all adults in the UK say they feel lonely some of the time.

The number of people who say they feel lonely is growing. Today, more young people say they feel lonely than older people.

Scientists think that feelings of loneliness stem from millions of years ago, back to our primateAny mammal from the group that includes lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, monkeys, apes and humans. ancestorsThe people related to us who lived a long time ago. . Primates need to belong to a group to survive, and so being alone can cause worry and stress.

Now, others think that more people feel lonely because of the way we live in the modern world. More people live alone, work from home or in part-time jobs and use technology to speak to others instead of meeting in person.

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Yes! There is only one real answer to loneliness: learning how to spend time with others and make new friends.

No! We know how to have friends. But we live in a world which makes meeting new people and forming friendships very difficult.