HealthDay News — Loneliness is a predictor of depression and poor health outcomes, according to a study published online July 9 in PLOS ONE.

The discomfort of loneliness shapes us in ways we don’t recognize—and we may not like what we become without it.

Research has shown how isolation or loneliness can cause mental and physical ailments. Being alone is an objective state but feeling lonely is a fuzzier predicament. One recurring trait among lonesome ...