Loneliness is not the same as being alone. While loneliness is associated with social isolation, the two terms are not interchangeable. Isolation is a measurable objective state, determined by the number of social contacts a person has, while loneliness is a subjective experience.
While different definitions of loneliness exist, it is most commonly defined as a negative subjective experience of low quality and/or quantity of one’s social network.
Emotional loneliness refers to the feeling of a lack of a meaningful relationship with a significant other, or a close friend. Social loneliness, on the other hand, is the experience of an insufficient broader social network, including friends, neighbours, or colleagues.
Loneliness can be a temporary feeling that comes and goes, or it can be situational, only occurring during certain periods due to specific life events. Alternatively, loneliness can be a chronic condition, with an individual experiencing it most or all of the time. Additionally, loneliness as a feeling can vary in its intensity.
Loneliness Measures
Since loneliness is intrinsically a personal and subjective feeling, its measurement is not straightforward. Several measures of loneliness have been developed.
Loneliness can be measured directly, by asking people about their subjective feelings of loneliness usually over a specified period of time (e.g. the past week or two weeks). Due to its simplicity, a direct question is the most frequently used measure in large scale population surveys.
Alternatively, indirect indicators, which explore specific determinants of loneliness, may be used. One reason for indirect assessment is the possible stigma related to loneliness which may lead to people underreporting their feelings if asked directly. The two best known indirect indicators are the UCLA Loneliness Scale (20 questions full version, [1], or 3 questions short version, [2]) and the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (6 questions, [3]). The De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale separates social and emotional loneliness. By considering these two dimensions of loneliness, the approach can shed light on whether loneliness takes the form of a desire for a larger social circle or of a sense of lacking of meaningful relationships.
[1] Russell, D., Peplau, L. A. and Ferguson, M. L. 1978. Developing a measure of loneliness. Journal of Personality Assessment 42(3), 290-294
[2] Russell, D. (1996). UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3): Reliability, validity, and factor structure. Journal of Personality Assessment, 66, 20-40.
[3] de Jong Gierveld, J. and van Tilburg, T. 2006. 6-Item Scale for Overall, Emotional, and Social Loneliness: Confirmatory Tests on Survey Data. Research on Ageing 28(5), 582-598
