HOW SOCIAL ISOLATION CHANGES THE BRAIN
Feeling lonely is the social equivalent to feeling physical pain
Source | www.inverse.com
PHYSICAL PAIN IS UNPLEASANT, yet it’s vital for survival because it’s a warning that your body is in danger. It tells you to take your hand off a hot burner or to see a doctor about discomfort in your chest. Pain reminds us all that we need to take care of ourselves.
Feeling lonely is the social equivalent to feeling physical pain. It even triggers the same pathways in the brain that are involved in processing emotional responses to physical pain.
Just like feeling physical pain, feeling lonely and disconnected from others is also a signal that we need to take care of ourselves by seeking the safety and comfort of companionship. But what happens when we are unable to find companionship and the loneliness persists?
As scholars at the Center for Healthy Aging at Penn State, we study the impact of stress on the aging body and brain, including how it can worsen cognitive decline and risk for dementia. The social isolation older adults are experiencing now amid the coronavirus pandemic is raising new mental health risks, but there are things people can do to protect themselves.
THE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF LONELINESS — The Covid-19 pandemic has put many older adults’ social lives on hold, leaving them at greater risk for loneliness. They know they face a higher risk of developing severe symptoms from Covid-19, so many are staying home. Restaurant closures and limits on visitors to assisted living centers have made it harder to see family and friends.
