Loneliness spreads in Germany

Loneliness is becoming an increasingly serious problem in Germany, according to a new survey carried out by one of the country's leading public health insurers.

Around 60% of Germans suffer from loneliness either often, sometimes or rarely, according to the survey, which was presented in Berlin on Wednesday by the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) health insurance company.

The study is based on a representative telephone survey of 1,403 people carried out in May by the research institute, Forsa.

It found that loneliness appears to particularly affect younger people — of those in the 18 to 39 age group, 68% said they often, sometimes or rarely felt lonely. The issue also seems to trouble younger people more: 36% of 18 to 39-year-olds said the feeling of loneliness weighs on them very heavily or quite heavily, while among the age groups between 40 and 59 and the 60-plus generation, the figure was only 19% and 21% respectively.

Speaking at a press conference presenting the report in Berlin on Wednesday, Janosch Schobin, a sociologist who works for the government-supported Loneliness Network, said this loneliness is often triggered by the changing life circumstances more likely to happen in younger years: leaving home, moving to new towns, shifting between jobs.

Single people are three times more likely to feel lonely than those with partners, and though there is no difference between men and women in the intensity of the feeling of loneliness, a partnership does play a role: 33% of singles feel very or quite strongly burdened by loneliness. Among people who have a steady partner, this figure is only 22%.

Loneliness remains taboo for men

The study found that education level, work or whether people lived in large or small towns were not significant factors in whether or not people were lonely. Nor was there a significant difference between the number of lonely men and women.

The main contributing factors to loneliness were the state of a person's partnerships and social networks. However, poverty increases the chances of being lonely, and older single people are at a higher risk of loneliness than younger singles.

Changing life circumstances are also a significant factor: Losing a job and a partner through separation or death often leads to a collapse of social networks and loneliness.

But the report found that admitting to loneliness continues to be difficult for people, especially men. Only 22% of men who experienced loneliness said they talked about it with other people — compared with 40% of female respondents to the survey.

The main reason given was that "didn't want to burden others" with the issue. Some 29% said it was uncomfortable for them to talk about loneliness, while 9% said they had no one with whom they could talk about their loneliness.

Loneliness is a health issue

Physical and mental ailments are also associated with an increased sense of loneliness. Some 23% of people who experienced loneliness said they consider their health poor — compared with 13% of those who do not feel lonely.

Poor health can especially lead to loneliness if individual limitations, such as those caused by disabilities, hearing loss or phases of depression, make communication with others more difficult.

Loneliness appears to be a psychological stressor: Symptoms such as stress and exhaustion, tiredness, feeling low, sleep disorders and anxiety occur much more frequently in lonely people.

"Loneliness can lead to physical ailments, too. That isn't a theory anymore. It has been proven," Jens Baas, board chairman at the TK health insurance company, said Wednesday, mentioning links to dementia.

Lonely people also appear to experience general physical ailments more frequently, including back pain and stomachaches, breathing difficulties and asthma.

Exactly why there should be a connection between loneliness and health remains something of a scientific mystery.

"It would be nice if we could explain the connection, but it's not that easy," said Baas. "In science, we can see that there is a clear connection between the soul and the body — we see it in many illnesses, but how it works physiologically, we don't know."

Edited by: Rina Goldenberg

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