Psychology Research and Behavior Management

The pandemic of loneliness: What is it, how does it affect us, and how do we handle it?

Loneliness has always been an integral part of human life and will probably continue to be so. Our Western culture has aspects which appear to magnify the alienation and impose the separateness that we can feel. As loneliness was stigmatized, not much was discussed or researched about it, until two episodes which helped bring loneliness "out of the closet". One was the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, who appointed a Minister of Loneliness Affairs, and the other was COVID-19; both legitimized an open admission and discussion of loneliness. Consequently, we see lately an increase in research interest in this topic, and it is thus an opportunity to have a collection of articles that address it.