Loneliness is an emotional state that everyone experiences. A person can be surrounded by people and still feel alone. John Cacioppo, a psychologist at the University of Chicago, joined social media experts Dr. Nicholas Christakis of Harvard University and James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego. They conducted a survey of more than 4,500 volunteers to determine the effects of loneliness. Neuroscience and social science research has shown that loneliness is an emotional state that affects people individually. This is not necessarily a symptom of friendlessness, but rather an indication of social health. Loneliness is often seen as a sign of psychological illness, poor social skills, or an inverted nature. People thrive on social interactions; they grow, create and encourage each other. Now, research suggests that loneliness has more of an effect on people than previously thought. Cacioppo believes loneliness is a persistent condition. The researchers' latest study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and funded by the National Institute of Aging, examines the spread of loneliness. Christakis and Fowler have conducted studies showing that emotional states and behaviors can spread widely and quickly throughout a society. One of their studies, the Framingham Heart Study, is an ongoing trial aimed at identifying cardiovascular disease risks. Cacioppo used the same data set that Christakis and Fowler collected in previous studies. The Loneliness Study was a questionnaire survey of more than 4,500 participants. The results showed that loneliness spreads and that a lonely person can impact the feelings of others in their social network. Cacioppo believes that lonely individuals have a negative view of others. Negative treatment...... middle of article ...... is proven by comparing the results to the work of other researchers, the same results are found. The method did not allow for consistency because the study aimed for change. Validity is ensured by using the same participants from another study. There are references to other studies on loneliness. Everyone experiences loneliness sometimes. Often people don't want to be alone for the sake of feeling alone. A study by psychologist John Cacioppo and social media experts Dr. Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler determined that loneliness spreads from person to person. Works CitedPark, Alice. “Feeling alone together: how loneliness spreads.” TIME. December 1, 2009. Web. February 5, 2011. Schaefer, Richard T. “Sociological Research.” Selected sociology materials. 12th ed. McGraw-Hill Companies, 2010. 29-35. Print.