- Jul 16, 2001
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Loneliness might be a family trait. That's the conclusion of new research suggesting 48 percent of the variations in loneliness among people is a result of genetics.
The rest is caused by life circumstances like leaving home or losing a spouse, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Researchers in the Netherlands and the University of Chicago examined surveys of 8,387 young adults in the Netherlands Twin Register.
Fraternal and identical twins and their families responded to mailed surveys every two or three years. Twins were asked whether they agreed with such statements as "I feel lonely," "I like to be alone," "Nobody loves me," and "I try to have as little as possible to do with other people."
Loneliness might be a family trait. That's the conclusion of new research suggesting 48 percent of the variations in loneliness among people is a result of genetics.
The rest is caused by life circumstances like leaving home or losing a spouse, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Researchers in the Netherlands and the University of Chicago examined surveys of 8,387 young adults in the Netherlands Twin Register.
Fraternal and identical twins and their families responded to mailed surveys every two or three years. Twins were asked whether they agreed with such statements as "I feel lonely," "I like to be alone," "Nobody loves me," and "I try to have as little as possible to do with other people."
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