A new book by psychologist and neuroscientist John Cacioppo discusses how chronic loneliness can make people less likely to be friendly and make friends, reports the Guardian.

Loneliness is essentially a defence mechanism which makes the sufferer more sensitive of social situations, but there is a lot of mystery surrounding the understanding of the condition. Cacioppo’s book also highlights that lonely people do not necessarily have less friends or engage less socially, they just require more of a connection with people than others. However, recognising the signs can be difficult, which is why people become withdrawn and isolated.

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