I'm an introvert and I get annoyed with people quickly, so being alone doesn't bother me. When I'm in the mood for company, I go out with a friend and get annoyed in about two hours. Then I'll be grateful to be back home with my cat! Lol. Seriously, it makes it hard to date. Everyone seems desperate to jump into something right away. I also need to mention that I was in an abusive relationship for four years, so maybe that's why my current solitude is so precious to me.

I've read all of the comments here. Mostly what I'm curious about is where y'all are getting these routine IQ exams?

You sound like a perfectly charming woman. I relate to everything you've said as well. I think it's unfortunately common for intelligent people, especially amongst those that get called "geniuses". I suppose it's important to know that you aren't alone, and I would LOVE to chat with you if ever you felt lonely.

I guess I most closely fit #6. I'm 71 and death often feels close. I go to a gym and try to avoid the worst effects of deterioration. I had a hip replacement when I was 65 and I never fully recovered from that so my walking is impaired. The knee of my opposite leg has no cartilage and is sometimes painful and it further impairs my walking. I feel totally outside of the normal lives of the people around me. I've learned from experience to leave people alone and stay in my own alone space.

It's been several years since I attempted sex. I was getting progressively worse ED that Viagra and the other drugs like that didn't help and I finally gave up trying to have sex out of frustration.

My worst problem is insomnia. I think I would be okay with my life as it is except sleep is a constant ordeal. I get so sick of the hours I spend trying to find my way to a little release and a little bit of not-being. Right now I'm on the second night of no sleep at all. I think about suicide almost constantly. If I owned a gun I would be in peril of just grabbing it and getting it all over with without hesitation. There are also family reasons I am trying to avoid suicide for a while. I rent a room from an ex-wife and the money I'm paying her makes it possible for her daughter to try to upgrade her life by going to school to get a better job than the shit jobs she's had.

I think I will most likely eventually end my life rather than let things deteriorate to the point that I die a slow, miserable death in a VA facility. I know how to do it with helium gas and the times like right now make that feel like a better choice than going on like I am.

Am I lonely? I've passed through stages of loneliness beyond anything I thought there was. It's not even about loneliness any more. It's about the fact that there is almost no pleasure in my life, even from the most simple and basic things like eating, while so many things become more difficult and painful as time passes.

I see that I've made it sound pretty horrible. It's not quite that bad, except when it's 5 am and I'm on the second night of no sleep, it amplifys it all.

If I had the delusion of religion it would probably seem different. It would probably be different. I don't though, and I can't "reboot" my evaluation of reality for my own convenience. I came to my view of a cold, indifferent universe through the sum total of my life experiences, and here I am.

1 2 3 and possibly 5.Everybody has 6.

I am alone, Not lonely. The loneliest I have ever felt, and it was Horrible, was when married to a man who professed to love me but proved Clearly that he did not!

Loneliness is a pervasive human quality.

I'm not sure that I am actually lonely. I often find myself on the fringes of a group, but it doesn't really bother me, other than occasional awkwardness. I am not a person who can talk to anybody, anytime. It takes me a while to connect. Other times, the stars align and I talk with everyone. It is strange, because, before I retired, I would walk into my exam room, with a woman who I had never meant, who was there for her initial OB visit, and immediately make a connection. We formed very close relationships from the first visit on to the day I retired. But, in a social situation, I am quiet, can't think of much to say, and just listen to others talk. I would say that instead of lonely, I am rather envious of the ability to talk to anyone in a social situation. I am also 71 years old, and after 25 years of marriage from the age of 19 years old, until I divorced, I love my life of living alone

I also joined the Wenatchee meet up group, and the Chelan Co. Democrats. I also have several factors on your list. Don't know where to go from here, but maybe we could share ideas.

Yes. As an only child who has lived alone most of my life, including my entire post-college professionally employed engineering career of the past 12 years, I occasionally experience loneliness. Much more recently since I tend to go about 2 years between relationships and I'm into year 4 without a significant other. I frequently see friends spending time in my area who know I'm lonely and don't invite me to join them which only exaserbates the feeling.

Wauw, 77 replies! This is apparently an issue that moves a lot of people.

I enjoy my solitude for the most part but at times I feel like it would be nice to have some folks around.. I'm not particularly close to my family and between my time in the military and my new job Ive kinda fallen out of the loop with my friends back home.. On top of all that I recently moved to New Mexico and I don't really know anyone and its difficult to get into the community. ..

Don't get me wrong.. I'm fine by my lonesome and all that but at times some social interaction would be lovely.

I'm lonely, mainly because of the end of a 30 year relationship that I grew too dependent upon. That, and my kids grew up and have lives of their own. I'm slowly learning to deal with it. I still have a few friends, and I'm not estranged from anyone in my family, so I have people to turn to if it gets too bad. It's just a little tough to figure out when you've only very briefly lived alone in your life, and that a long time ago. I was somewhat excluded from groups in my youth, but I found/made a group of my own. Being an extravert, I've always tried to find things in common with whatever group I found myself in, without losing my own identity. For the most part, I succeeded, and always had my real group of friends and family to fall back on.

1, 2, 4 and 5. Fortunately I don't actually feel lonely that often. I'd say 2 and 5 affect me most often/acutely. 4 not so much now that I've been out of school, and lacking in deep and intellectual conversations for the most part, for so long now. And 1 does get to me badly sometimes, but not most of the time; I've been out of a romantic relationship for the longest time since my first - it was no longer than 6 months before (just a couple months other than the one 5/6 month period), and its now been...atleast a year and a half I believe...-sigh-
My ex (the most recent one, that I'm still friends with) faces the last one way too often for someone who's not actually anywhere near dying. He's caught up in a loop of being terrified of death and thinking about how we're all meaningless in the greater scheme of things and taking that too personally and getting depressed. There's nothing I'm able to do to help him.

Btw, you sound like you may actually be an extroverted introvert, like myself - you get energy from interacting with others, but its still draining and you need time alone to recharge. This would explain why I seem incapable of living with anyone lol.

Gee, very touching. Never new there are so many categories of loneliness since I know only one category: mine...... I do miss the very same things you so vividly described. I don't know what my IQ is ( not interested to know either), all I know is that I made it all the way to a master's degree as a pleasant and best experience. PhD didn't happen only because life happens. I've seen my better days, daughters grown up and out of the house (as it should be since always taught them to be independent). All in all, its all good and yet loneliness is a big part of my life. Last time I check, I am not dead yet !!!.... If any of that resonates with you then please send me a note, would you? Cheers !!

For me 1, 2, 3, and 4. Not that I don't like to be alone. There are times I need to be alone. I want to live a partnership and still be able to share each others need for space alone. I am one of many topics and favor, history and science and not necessary a religious topic which I think the word religion should be changed to believers and non-believers.

I experience relief at getting to go home and be by myself. I don't know that I've ever been lonely. I have never needed anybody else to entertain me and that may make a difference in how I experience being alone.

I too have a high IQ and with that I see things differently . the loneliness is a special one . I see people, such as trump supporters and wonder if that ignorance is indeed bliss. Not knowing the truth and not wanting to read about truth and then being able to function peacefully within your self has got to be a nice thing. As for me, I am cursed with intellect and must seek out the truth at all times. Sometimes it is lonely but so rewarding.

Being a progressive, introverted, single dad with a 165 IQ and no formal college education stuck in the middle of oklahoma I'm thinking everything but five and six applies to me. But I don't put much stock in IQ scores. I know I have my issues with certain areas.

alone but not lonely...I spend a lot of time alone on purpose.

Very well articulated....for me it would probably be more cultural - not so much loneliness - maybe more "isolation". I spent 25 years working in an office full of not just republicans - but RABID republicans - who teased and referrred to me as "our token tree hugging, granola crunching, birkenstock wearing liberal". Needless to say, I developed a very thick skin. Add that to the fact that every member of my family hates democrats, liberals, etc etc - you can see where I had to learn to either just let it roll off and keep quiet - or spend my entire life endlessly arguing with everyone. Life is just too short for that.

Not really, but kind of yes at the same time. I mostly feel sad that I don't have anyone to share all the cool things about life with. I also feel bad that my son doesn't have a male figure to look up to, other than my father who he doesn't see a ton. Other than that, I like being alone. I think there's plenty fulfillment to be had by yourself.

July 4 is my birthday so I do feel a bit lonely if I'm by myself

I am lonely a lot of the time. My "work" life (the music side, at least; writing is by nature solitary) is populated by mostly people younger than me, and I'm close to a few of them, but not many.

'1', my wife of 17 years left me, '3' moved from Los Angeles to a small farm town in SW Michigan and I don't like NASCAR or the NHL and '5' cause I have traveled the world many times and have had 20+ surgeries and a few near death experiences...no one gets me.