Anyone with a close friend can attest to how important and enriching a good friend can be. But how does friendship, and the lack thereof, affect us? What benefits can a close confidant provide for us, physiologically and psychologically?  Here’s what the science says: How Loneliness Affects Us Two critical caveats: several factors can cause feelings of abandonment or isolation, and every person has a different measurement of aloneness. It is important to keep this in mind because your friends (or you) might be feeling lonely for any number of reasons and might need an individual level of attention to