Ban-Dodger wrote:
Reflecting back, and thinking on this question, I have to say that I found that feelings of loneliness are most-likely when one is made very busy within their life, such that practically little to no time exists for social-interactions, due to spending much time needing to concentrate on activities like working or keeping a job. Another one is when you are so far ahead of the crowd in your thinking that nobody else can relate to you.
Dealing with "loneliness" I have found is best done by simply exploring additional communities beyond your current one. Sometimes you will even need to go to an entirely different state rather than merely another city over to find any differences, but you will find that certain locations do in fact, have different enough communities, such that you eventually find an area that you like, with people that you like, and whose population is receptive to and wants to keep in touch with you. Wait, wait, just noticed the word "romantic" within the thread-title...
...basically my first paragraph. I used to be interested in this stuff but I now have a "higher calling" I guess that makes me feel compelled to figure out how to help re-structure society so that everyone can fulfill their Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Desires.
I can relate to the bit about being too busy for anything except work. Its a good complaint, but I am looking forward to having more free time soon.
Its an individual case by case basis, but some people may be able to move to different parts of their country, an in demand qualification helps with this. The region I moved to last year has the highest concentration of people with additional needs in the country and its nice to be around other people that aren't quite typical. Oddness in all its varieties is the norm here.