Don't read those articles / books. They will just scare you. Science is not always correct and sometimes they get it wrong. We are always learning in science and in our society. Remember when we thought smoking was good for us? Remember when eating fat was bad and sugar was good? Remember when a woman's place was in the kitchen? For a long time we thought Pluto was a planet. The theory of relativity may not be correct (you physicist can weigh in, I'm not one). We now think dinosaurs had feathers and weren't like lizards. Psychologists used to think that the brain was a separate entity from the body. We now know there's a body / mind connection. And remember when we thought ulcers were caused by stress? They're caused by bacteria and the people who proved it won a nobel prize. Screw what you read and hear about loneliness and death. Yes though, loneliness really really sucks. Go out and make some connections if that's what you want. Join a club, a gym, take a class, explore an interest you have with others, try a meet up group. Keep going back. That's how you make friends. And if you like being a loner as well, nothing wrong with that. Don't force yourself to be someone you're not. Good luck