Loneliness may be a matter of perception, but it appears that these feelings trump a person’s actual life circumstances. With this in mind, simply surrounding yourself with lots of people does not necessarily preclude feelings of isolation if these interactions do not have some underlying foundation of connectedness. In other words, quality counts, not quantity, and two new studies have found that poor quality relationships that result in feelings of detachment with others can have serious health consequences.

The relationship between loneliness and health have been observed in medical circles, but the actual connection and mechanism have never fully been understood. In order to learn more, researcher followed 265 adults between the ages of 19 and 85 years and observed a link between loneliness and stress. Lonely people had fewer close connections, were less able to cope with daily stress, and did not seem to get enough sleep. All of these situations contributed to an inability to maintain good health.

According to one study, age did not seem to be a factor in predicting feelings of isolation, nor did distance from family and friends. Along these lines, interactions facilitated by the internet and digital technology did not necessarily lead to problems, though relationships established before the creation of long distance communication tended to be the strongest. Interestingly, having a partner did not necessarily protect a person from the consequences of loneliness. What appeared to have a more profound affect was having close relationships with family and friends.

Perhaps the most intriguing finding to come out of the study, published in the journal Health Communications, was that loneliness seemed to boil down to a matter of perception. Loneliness has been defined as the difference between a person’s desired level of interaction with another person and the actual level of interaction. This discrepancy, however, is difficult to measure because it boils down to how a person views and defines that relationship. Thus, two people can interpret the same circumstance in a completely different manner and respond accordingly.

In a related study, researchers observed that lonely people did not derive the same degree of enjoyment from leisure activities as those who had stronger social networks. These same lonely individuals were also less able to experience the regenerative effects of sleep.

The findings of the two studies suggest that when close personal relationships go beyond simple social interactions, they can have a positive impact on our well-being. Thus, people should not only take good care of their physical health, but take the time to attend to their psychological and emotional health, as well. This is best accomplished by way of maintaining meaningful relationships with friends and family.