 Hey Psych2Goers, have you been missing some company lately or do you feel isolated and left out? Despite being surrounded by people you care about, do you still feel lonely and empty? Loneliness is not always obvious and sometimes it may feel like a weakness. You may try to make yourself believe you don't really need anybody, especially if you've been alone for a long time. But we all need at least some kind of warmth from the ones around us. If you noticed you've been feeling down lately, check out these six signs to see if you are secretly lonely. Number one, you're often bored. Do you often feel bored with nothing to do and no one to hang out with? Humans are social beings. Our brains are wired for social connection. We need people to talk to you, have fun and spend quality time with. People who give us emotional support and connection and make our days more fun. But if you don't have many friends or if you're not close with the ones you have, you may start feeling bored. You spend your days alone, doing activities alone, eating alone, just scrolling through your phone mindlessly. In this case, the boredom you feel could actually mean you're feeling lonely. Number two, you are jealous of others having fun. How do you feel when you see a group of friends hanging out outside or when you see all those pictures on social media of people having fun? Are you indifferent or does it make you feel a tiny bit jealous? If yes, you should know that's totally fine. If you're feeling lonely and left out, it's normal that you wish you could spend time with others rather than being alone. And even if they don't talk about it, many others feel the same way. Number three, you're taking long showers or baths. This may sound kind of weird because who doesn't have a nice warm shower or bubble bath after a long day. But if a nice stream of hot water brings you comfort that you can't find outside, it could be a sign of loneliness. A study published in 2012 in the journal Emotion found that the lonelier a person is, the more showers and baths they take, the hotter the water and the longer they stay under the water. Researchers believe that the physical warmth that you feel from hot water may actually be a substitute for social warmth that you're lacking. But this finding can be used to your advantage. When there are no friends around, maybe you can feel a bit better with a nice cup of hot chocolate. Number four, you have no one to turn to. Imagine this, you had a long, bad day. You finally get home, but your mind is still racing. You're feeling overwhelmed and want to get it off your chest. You take out your phone to call or text someone. Who do you call? If you're having trouble answering, on top of feeling stressed, you might be lonely too. Loneliness is not just about not having any friends, it's about not having a close friend. You can talk about work or school with your colleagues or chit chat about the weather with your neighbor, but it's also important to have someone to turn to who can help you when you're feeling down. Not having someone like that in your life can make you feel lonely. Number five, over sharing when someone's willing to listen. Another sign of loneliness could be over sharing. Do you talk quickly when you're having a conversation? Do you talk in great detail sharing lots of personal stuff that you might feel bad afterwards for saying? The reason is simple. If you're lonely, you probably don't talk much or at all. You're left with all your thoughts and ideas and emotions, but there's no one to listen. So when you finally find someone to have a conversation with, you have so much to say, so much to make up for that it just comes out at once. Number six, you keep buying and hoarding stuff. When we're little, we find comfort in our blankies and teddy bears. They give us a sense of security, but as we grow older, we learn to turn to people rather than stuffed animals. That is, if we don't feel lonely. If you are lonely, you may find yourself compulsively buying or hoarding items you don't really need, such as clothes, ornaments and jewelry that can become a substitute for the company you're lacking. You feel like you don't have people to make you happy, so use the happiness in material things and become emotionally attached to those items. According to a recent 2020 study, loneliness, hoarding and object attachment are all associated with one another. Being attached to material objects might actually be an attempt to compensate for the loneliness you feel. If you're feeling lonely, know that there are some small steps you can take to try and help feel less lonely. The first is talking to someone and sharing your feelings. This can be a mental health professional if you don't feel like opening up to someone else in your life. You could also try engaging with others, maybe by volunteering, joining a sports club or enrolling in language or art classes. Lastly, take care of your body. Since the body and mind are connected, drink enough water, get some sunlight and exercise as much as you can. Can you relate to any of these points? If so, let us know in the comments and share this video with others who you think it might help. The studies and references used are in the description below. Until next time friends and thanks for watching. We'll see you next time.