Loneliness is felt most intensely by young people, according to the largest ever survey which found that turning to Facebook does not help.
The survey of 55,000 people found that 16-24 year olds experience loneliness more often than any other age group.
Two in five of those within this age group reported feeling lonely often or very often, compared to only 29 per cent of people aged 65-74 and 27 percent of those aged 75 or older.
It found that people who report feeling lonely have more online-only Facebook friends than those who do not....