Eating alone is the

One study found that eating alone is the second biggest cause, just after mental illness, makes people feel unhappy.

1/4 of adults eat alone in all or most of their time, often because of their busy lifestyle or lack of social contact.

This makes us feel more unhappy than financial problems or physical disabilities, the study shows.

In a study conducted by Oxford Economics and the Center for Social Research, more than 8,000 people were asked questions that measure happiness, satisfaction, self-worth and anxiety, on a scale of 0 to 100. , called the Living Happiness Index .

Eating alone makes people feel unhappy, according to a new study - (Photo: Shutterstock).

On average, people who eat alone have 7.9 points lower than those who never eat alone.

Nearly one-fifth of people who live alone, especially single people or overworked, say they always eat alone. However, most retirees, who say they never or only occasionally eat alone.

With more and more people living alone or divorced, there are fears that traditional family meals are declining.

The happiness index also shows that those who do not have children in the "X generation" , that is, aged 35-54, are the least socially connected, while young families are well connected. Best.

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, president of the Royal College, called on family doctors to introduce patients to social activities to fight back, and called for a national promotional campaign to solve this problem.

"There needs to be a broader understanding of loneliness as a serious disease. We all need to look for each other," Izzi Seccombe, councilor of the Main Association's community welfare board Local rights, say.

An unsatisfying sex life, lack of sleep or feeling of time pressure are also significant causes of unhappiness.