What is the difference between being lonely and being alone?

1. 59

   VanessaRanayposted 9 years ago

   What is the difference between being lonely and being alone?

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2. 72

   Michaela Osieckiposted 9 years ago

   Being lonely is when you are missing the company of other human beings and can't stand being in solitude. Being alone means being comfortable with only yourself as company and not being afraid to confront yourself.

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3. 0

   Commonsensethinkposted 9 years ago

   People who are alone might be lonely, but not all of them are.
   
   People who are lonely definitely need company, although that should also be company of choice, people who make them feel good, who can sympathise with them. It is also easy to feel lonely even when surrounded by people, particularly individuals that you do not like.
   
   For people like myself though (this may be the impact of getting old), I enjoy my time on my own, particularly if there is work to do and I do not want to be distracted. Much as I love my wife's company, it is often far harder to concentrate when she is home all day!

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4. 71

   dashingscorpioposted 9 years ago

   
   
   Being alone means there is no one else in the room with you.
   Being lonely is a (feeling of loneliness) which can even be felt in a room full of other people, within a marriage/relationship, or being physically alone and wishing (you weren't) alone.
   Essentially loneliness is a feeling of being disconnected to other people or feeling as though they can't relate to you or vice versa.

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5. 90

   sangreposted 9 years ago

   Being lonely means there is no one around to love and support you or help you out in difficult times. People in your life might not be giving you the necessary love and support you need to thrive as a person.
   
   Sometimes being alone by choice is something I think is vitally important to do now and again.  Being around people like friends, family, work colleagues and flat mates can literally drive your crazy. 
   
   But if you are alone by choice then you are never lonely, you just choose to be by yourself.

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6. 74

   m abdullah javedposted 9 years ago

   The two different states of being speak of different patterns by virtue of  which one can have an idea about the actuality.
   Being lonely means there is a dearth of loving and caring attitudes because of which a person is in a solitary state and feels loneliness. This state also speaks of the collective failure of a group that they have failed in providing their companionship.
   Being alone is a preferred state of an individual. It may be because of particular issue a person prefer to be alone for a specific period of time.
   In both the cases, there are individual and collective attitudes involved and it depends on the situation and the mental stability of the person to guage the perception of each state.

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