What do you think of the following: There's a range of different things one can get out of interacting with people—seeing a friendly face, intellectual conversation, doing an activity together, discussing problems, emotional support, things one would do with a lover, and so on. I'm certain that there is large variation in how much people need of each of these things, or how much it bothers them if they don't get it. Then I would define "loneliness" to mean "there is some type of interaction you need that you're not getting".
Hmm in that particular case I'd say it's a little bit more on the "you're getting things you don't want" more than just a lack. There's a kind of aggression of being surrounded by people in a very different state of mind. My 2 cents
I find personally that there's a vague sort of pyramid structure to my social needs. Frivolous socializing is a fun break when my deeper social needs are met, but I start to resent it when it's the majority of my socializing.
