ALMA NEWS24/ DIVYA POONKAZHAL

Loneliness rivals smoking and obesity in its impact on shortening longevity and has become a public health concern, especially for the older adults, say researchers.
The new study, published in the journal 'Aging and Mental Health', found that people's experience of living with loneliness is shaped by a number of personal and environmental factors.
"Some residents talked about the loss of spouses, siblings and friends as the cause of their loneliness. Others mentioned how making new friends in a senior community cannot replace deceased friends they grew up with," said Alejandra Paredes, a research fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at University of California San Diego School of Medicine.
The feeling of loneliness was frequently associated with a lack of purpose in life.
Others expressed a sense of "not being attached, not having very much meaning and not feeling very hopeful" or "being lost and not having control". 
The research team also found that wisdom, including compassion, seemed to be a factor that prevented loneliness.