Hélène Peynet wrote: “the term loneliness refers either to a fact or to a feeling, that is to say to a real loneliness or a felt loneliness.
[…] Even within a group, even a crowd, one can feel alone”.
In France, some 11 million people in France, or 20% of people over 15, feel lonely and 80% suffer from it, according to a study published on Monday.
Calling to "de-stigmatize" loneliness to encourage those concerned to seek help, the Fondation de France emphasizes the fact that even a "dense social life" does not protect against the feeling of being alone.
Thus, among people inserted into at least two "social networks", such as family members who do not live under the same roof, friends, neighbours, work colleagues or an association, the rate of loneliness reaches another 17%.
Some are indeed "objectively surrounded but believe that the quality and nature of their ties are insufficient or a source of suffering".
Poverty and loneliness go hand in hand
The poorer a person is, the more their social ties weaken, underline the authors of the study, based on a survey of a sample of nearly 3,400 Internet users and on in-depth interviews with people supported by specialized associations.
People at home (mostly women) or without a diploma are also more likely to feel isolated, because “full-time domestic work accentuates the feeling of withdrawal from the social world” and “unskilled jobs (… ) have a low added value in relational matters”, notes the study.
Loneliness also affects more single parents (often mothers), or people living or having lived in a community (in social homes, or in prison, for example).
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At 81, he lives in a (tiny) cabin nestled in the heart of the Brocéliande forest.
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