Who suffers most loneliness, men or women?

In time, friendships spread out, people follow different directions, and friends or acquaintances become more difficult to reach.

But does the stereotype agree with reality?

The new research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology examined the development of loneliness throughout life. Interestingly, researchers discovered that a middle - aged loneliness trajector depended on the gender of a person. Men experienced the most loneliness in middle age, while women are more lonely in old age.

So men feel more alone around the age of 40, while at 80, loneliness decreases. In the meantime, the opposite is true of women.

However, the gender was not the only factor that affects loneliness. Researchers also found that social and environmental circumstances contributed to the development of loneliness in later life.