Loneliness and the Stress of Being Alone
Winter is a time of increased social isolation and loneliness. Travel barriers from weather and illness increase our isolation this season. And even those of us who typically enjoy being alone feel the absence of others more acutely after the intense social connections of the holiday season. Why is isolation a stressor for us? What is loneliness?
A few years ago, I created this video on the neuroscience of loneliness for the “Thinking about Thinking” series for the Science Museum of Virginia. Give it a watch!
Key points from the video:
Humans are a social species, needing others to survive, find food, mates, etc. We might not always like everyone, but we thrive in groups. We accomplish more when we work together. And our brains function in a social context.
Social behaviors = influencing or being influenced by others’ thoughts, feelings, behaviors
Our brains have a complex network of systems to help us navigate social behaviors. We use language, as well as body language, meaningful glances, and other more subtle clues. A seemingly simple social interaction- like reading my sister’s facial expression and laughing at her intent- uses almost every part of the brain. It’s actually an incredibly complex series of tasks.
When we become more isolated, interacting with fewer people, our brain circuitry literally misses connections. In the brain, you either use it or lose it, so neurons that aren’t being used to recognize and respond to social cues begin to disconnect. Isolated people start to lose their ability to recognize and respond appropriately to social signals, slowly becoming less comfortable with others and more likely to isolate themselves further.
Social behavior activates pleasure pathways in our brains. Our neural networks actually get pleasure from accurately identifying others’ emotions and responding appropriately, which is why a joke is funnier laughing with someone and it’s soothing to cry with someone. The loss of social rewards is the essence of loneliness.
Not everyone needs the same amount of support and connection. There are huge variations in how comfortable someone is on their own. We think of those differences as fundamental, unchanging personality differences, but that isn’t true. Actually, our need for social interaction is fluid, and will change depending on many factors, such as life experiences.
Loneliness happens to us all. Our social networks fluctuate during transitions in our life and we can expect periods of isolation and loneliness. While this is normal, at times the isolation and loneliness can affect our mental health. Depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol and substance abuse, suicidal ideation are all consequences of loneliness.
Further reading:
Loneliness and social isolation can lead to terrible consequences. I wrote about suicide in this piece a couple years ago. Here’s a small excerpt on the the biochemical changes in the brain involved in development of suicidal behaviors.
Recently, biologists and neuroscientists have joined the study of suicide, utilizing techniques ranging from population genetics to brain imaging. Compelling evidence suggests that specific biochemical changes are involved in the development of suicidal behaviors. Understanding the underlying biology of suicidal behaviors can lead to improved prevention methods, in conjunction with the mental health disorders that often accompany them. These biochemical changes include changes in neurotransmitter receptors and their genes, alterations in the stress response signaling pathways (like the HPA axis which triggers cortisol release) and even neuroinflammatory responses to infections, depression and other conditions affecting brain pathways.
Read the full blog here: https://smv.org/learn/blog/emerging-neuroscience-working-prevent-suicide/.
