US surgeon general Vivek Murthy describes five forms of being alone – the first four of which can damage your mental and physical health:

• Intimate loneliness – You long for someone in whom you can confide or an intimate partner.
• Relational loneliness...

While common definitions of loneliness describe it as a state of solitude or being alone, loneliness is actually a state of mind.

Loneliness causes people to feel empty, alone, and unwanted. People who are lonely often crave human contact, but their state of mind ...

Loneliness is the pain of being alone and is damaging. Solitude is the joy of being alone and is empowering.