Jennifer Horgan: I'm a busy working mum with family and friends. So why am I lonely?

In this WhatsApp age, our phones are constantly pinging but rarely ringing, keeping us in contact but with no real connection — I'm lonely because I know that in my heart of hearts there are only two people I can conceivably call if I need to hear someone’s actual voice

Jennifer Horgan: 'As a near 43-year-old working woman with three children, plenty of friends, and a network of extended family, shouldn’t I be at the peak of my social powers?'

Why are we so lonely? According to a new study, Ireland has the highest levels of loneliness in Europe.

The first EU-wide survey on loneliness, carried out as part of a European Parliament pilot project by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) puts us in the (not so) hotspot with more than 20% of respondents reporting feeling lonely.