Mothers' groups help new mums feel socially connected. Marion Mums and Bubs members Karen Davis with Ella, Alexandra Baker with Xanthe , Shirley Tan with Alexander and Rachel Whittenbury with Zoe. Picture: Brenton Edwards
Thanks to technology, we've never been as connected as we are today but increasingly, experts say, many of us have also never felt as lonely — and it is making us sick, literally.
Loneliness — the feeling of lacking genuine friends and someone real to confide in — is now said to be as bad, if not worse, for our health as being obese or smoking 15 cigarettes a day.