Research Log #6- Solutionary Project 2023

Date: 3/8/23
Name: Jenna Sniffen
Central Question: How does loneliness within elders negatively affect communities?
Thesis: Elderly loneliness affects our communities because it causes them to feel useless and increases the chances of
developing life threating aspects.
Essay Sections:
#1 What is the problem? What are the systemic causes? Who is hurt and who benefits? (Use three
sources.)
#2: What has been and is being done? (Use two sources.)
#3: What do you think should be done and what do you intend to do? (Use one source.)

In which section will you use this source?

Excerpts:

This article states “letting someone know you “need to talk” can open the door to a deeper
bond”.

Someone who wants to make more friend shouldn’t wait for someone to approach them “because
loneliness already reflects a sense of isolation”.

Group activities or clubs are good ways to ease into social activity: “An easy way to combat
social loneliness is to jump into a new activity or group”.

Commentary and Analysis:

This article does not only focus of elderly people that feel lonely, but it also focuses on
people of all ages that struggle with this problem. There are three different types of loneliness
categories that are introduced in the reading. They are existential loneliness, emotional
loneliness, and social loneliness. It is stated that there are different ways to help someone
overcome each of these types of loneliness.
Existential loneliness has to do with natural things in the world and essentially causes you
to lack a meaning in life. Listed ways to overcome that is by ignoring the natural fears we have
of isolation, death, and meaningless actions. Being able to recognize the fear in the moment and
turning it into motivation is the key to solving this issue. If someone experiencing this problem
can notice it while they’re doing it, it will allow for them to think of what caused those feelings
and try to prevent it moving forward.
To conquer emotional loneliness, trust must be established within the people that
someone experiencing this wants to form a friendship with. Trust takes a while for some people,
but a healthy support system is a heavy necessity to overcoming combat loneliness. A deep
connection will not be formed if another person is expected to form a bond for you.
Lastly, getting rid of social loneliness is one of the hardest topics to overcome for many.
A lot of people are introverted and get easily frightened by large groups of people. However, a
lax way to ease yourself into more socialization is joining a club that is based upon a common
interest or volunteer to at a place with activities of personal interests. This solution can also help
to form a genuine connection with people that are into the same things as yourself.

MLA Work Cited:

“The 3 Types of Loneliness and How to Combat Them.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers,
www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/lifetime-connections/201907/the-3-types-loneliness-
and-how-combat-them.

This is a reputable and reliable article because it is the world’s largest mental health and
behavioral science destination online.