With more and more people experiencing increased loneliness and missing human interactions, such as seeing a friendly face, or receiving a comforting hug during times of crisis, it begs the question: what is the neurological basis of loneliness? How does social isolation affect well-being? And most importantly, how should we cope with changing situations to decrease negative effects of social isolation? Neurological Basis of Loneliness Fundamentally, as social animals, humans need social interaction. In the past, forming groups naturally helped our ancestors survive, providing increased protection and support. Even now, we naturally form communities with each other, and we experience loneliness when separated from others, both physically and emotionally. Many scientists perceive loneliness as a biological mechanism to motivate people to seek interaction, much like hunger or thirst. In fact, a preliminary study that was completed just before quarantine started by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology compared effects of hunger and loneliness and showed that they actually activate many of the same parts of the brain, and the pathways have many parallels. This leads to the conclusion that the need for human interaction is almost as fundamental as the need for food. In this study, 40 adults were subjected to 10 hours of food deprivation and 10 hours of social isolation. On the social isolation day, they were restricted from phones, laptops, and novels, but were allotted puzzles and nonfiction reading. On the food deprivation day, they were only allowed to drink water over the 10 hour timespan. At the end, their brains were scanned as they were shown pictures of foods, social interaction, and flowers (as a control). Using machine learning, they were able to compare the signals in the brain between both trials. In both trials, neurons in the substantia nigra, a region associated with motivation, brought about a strong dopaminergic response. Subjects only responded to what they were deprived of, and the patterns in both trials were very similar, concluding that social undernourishment is comparable to hunger. Similar to the body’s response to hunger, loneliness motivates people to seek interaction and human contact. Other studies support a similar conclusion, such as one conducted on mice using optogenetics, determined key regions involved in motivation and social isolation, including the dorsal raphe nucleus in the hindbrain. When genes were turned on in the region, allowing the mice to perceive loneliness, they would spend more time in areas close to new mice. Effects of Social Isolation on Health Loneliness is a natural feeling that everyone experiences at some point in their lives, whether it be from not being able to interact with others or from perceived social isolation by not fitting in. However, chronic loneliness has much more severe consequences, such as increased prevalence of mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Furthermore, loneliness has been found to increase stress levels, make people more susceptible to stroke and heart disease, and even increase likelihood of an earlier death by 26%. In a 2018 study by researchers at Thomas Jefferson University, mice removed from an enriched social environment and placed in solitary confinement for over a month experienced overall decreases in neuronal volume, deficits in motor control, and changes in learning and memory. In some parts of the brain, such as the motor cortex, changes were extreme, and some regions experienced decreases in nerve cell size by over 20%. It is unknown whether humans experience similar changes in brain structure. Additionally, chronic loneliness has been shown to cause increased hostility in people, and they tend to view things more negatively. Lonely people also tend to perceive more social threats, which can cause a self-perpetuating cycle. What can you do to help yourself?
No matter your situation, you can always take this time to connect with others, without breaking social distancing. During this time, many rely on social media for interactions; however, many studies have shown that prolonged time on social media can actually be damaging to mental health. This is because on these platforms, there are less opportunities to interact with others with social cues, such as smiles and gestures, like you would in normal life. As a result, people who spend a lot of time on social media sometimes perceive less overall positive interactions and signals than they would in real life. Alternatives to spending prolonged periods of time on social media that may be helpful in increasing social interaction include video calling, which allows people to perceive more social presence of others than in instant messaging, and participating in shared activities, such as hosting virtual parties, get-togethers, games, and competitions with friends. It is important to reach out to friends and family and stay connected during this time, which will have positive impacts on health and well-being.
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