Image by shutterstock
Explaining HOW Sex Differences In Unmarried Older Adults Affects loneliness
August 29, 2019 | Life | By Amanda Johnson
The pain of loneliness is real. It’s not something that you can take an aspirin for relief. Those who try to deny the pain of being lonely are hurting themselves in the long run. Realize that this is real and not something that you can cover up with food, alcohol, or binge-watching Netflix. Distractions don’t resolve pain and if we believe that they do we are only fooling ourselves. Here read how sex differences in unmarried older adults affects loneliness.
Do women over 50 have a more difficult time dealing with loneliness than men?
The short answer to that question is yes. There is no singular reason for why that is. The differences in the mental make up of the female and male brains can’t be overlooked. Information is processed differently in the minds of men and women, and that does play a role of it. Also, the role of male friends may have a significant impact on how a man reacts. A guy can brush things off by going out and hanging out with his friends. It’s accepted that he’s going to rush out and try to find someone new right away. Women, on the other hand, tend to dwell on things more. It’s not uncommon for a woman to not want to reach out and be around others during difficult times.
Do men and women feel the pain of loneliness differently?
Well, it depends on the cause of the loneliness. The death of a spouse does affect men and women differently. However, there are far more similarities than differences when it comes to how men and women feel loneliness. The main difference is in how the loneliness is dealt with. A man is more likely to drink his pain away while a woman feels more comfortable eating. Men find it more acceptable than women to enter into quick relationships that get their mind off of the pain. Those relationships may never bear fruit, but it serves the purpose of getting rid of the loneliness even if it’s only temporary. Men are financially more secure and use it to their advantage to hop relationships.
What can be done to combat loneliness?
The easiest way to overcome a sense of loneliness is by having someone fill the void in your life. The length of time that it gets over a severe breakup or death is different for each person. You don’t want to jump right into another relationship if the conditions aren’t right. The last thing a woman should do is hook up with someone to make the feeling of hurt go away. That rarely works, and you’ll end up finding yourself being worse off. Instead, allow yourself to work through the pain and find someone when the time is right. The healing process can only begin when you recognize that the pain you feel is legit. There’s no way to overcome loneliness without first coming to terms with the pain and the root cause of being lonely.
It’s a given that men and women will feel and deal with loneliness differently. Though exceptions exist, while women are considerably more expressive, men are known to suffer and not say. Men and women also display their Mars and Venus side in admitting loneliness. While men will find the social consequences too much to deal with women being lonely in senior years is expected, accepted and has limited social consequences.
Consequently, Lets50 believes it’s important to accept, deal with and seek out when lonely irrespective of age and gender.
