Hey Rewire Collective!
This week we’re talking about loneliness – how does it affect our brains, and what can we do about it?
We’re a Social Species
Like it or not, we’re actually a very social species. Humans rely on other humans for many aspects of their lives – food, clothing, shelter, child-rearing, and so much more. We don’t do well when we’re socially isolated, or when we’re lonely. And these are actually two distinct ideas: social isolation comes from not being around others, but loneliness is something that we feel and perceive as individuals. Studies show that it isn’t necessarily the number of people in our lives that makes us lonely, but the quality of those relationships, and our own perceptions and biases1,2.
Loneliness Changes the Brain
In animals, we see that exposure to monotonous environments and being isolated from others impairs plasticity in the hippocampus3,4. But does it happen in humans?
Studies on Antarctica researchers during long expeditions are the perfect group to find out5. Eight expeditioners underwent MRI brain imaging, before, during, and after their 14-month expedition. Following the expedition, they had reductions in their hippocampal volume and in their prefrontal and orbitofrontal grey matter volume5. These decreases are linked to poorer performance in cognitive tests for selective attention and spatial processing. Moreover, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein responsible for neuronal health and growth, was lowered after just 4 months of the expedition and did not recover even after being home for a month.
But changes to physical and social environments can have similar effects on plasticity in animals, without necessarily meaning their lonely6. So what about people who aren’t isolated, but self-reported as lonely?
Well, University students who have recently moved away from home are a great group to look at. In lonely individuals there were changes in the neuronal responses of their default mode network (DMN)7. This persisted even when individuals were matched for number of friendships. And in the UK, the findings are consistent. Lonely individuals have stronger functional connections in the DMN network, but weaker connections from the DMN to other brain networks8. Loneliness isn’t just a physical state, but a mental one9.
But how does this translate to behaviour?
People who self-report feeling lonely are more likely to focus on negative faces and emotions10 and have less brain reactivity in their ventral striatum when seeing positive faces11. Lonely individuals also show worse behavioural synchronisation with others, potentially creating a negative cycle of feeling lonely and then struggling to be with others12.
If that wasn’t enough, loneliness is common in cognitive decline and dementia, and there is now debate about whether loneliness is just a symptom or partially a cause13.
Tips for How to Avoid Loneliness
The first thing to say is that loneliness is going to mean different things for everyone, and the social interaction that some need is different to others. Therefore, loneliness is more closely associated with the quality than the number of relationships1,2.
A meta-analysis (big analysis of studies) looked at 4 different approaches to loneliness interventions14: improving social skills, enhancing social support, increasing opportunities for social interaction, and addressing maladaptive social cognition. So, it’s important to identify the cause of your loneliness.
Do you struggle to interact with others? If so, then interventions to improve social skills would be useful!
Do you lack opportunities to be social? Then perhaps join a local club, or volunteer at a local charity.
Do social situations cause stress or anxiety? Cognitive behavioural therapy might be useful in this scenario15.
It is very normal to feel lonely sometimes – over 30% of Americans do16. And it is especially difficult when transitioning through life phases - from school to University, living at home to living away, being single to in a relationship, and having children.
But it is important to find ways to deal with that. Identifying why you’re feeling lonely will help, but also identifying what is a satisfying social experience for you will help. Remember, it is not the quantity of social interactions that predicts loneliness, but the quality!
A great way to test the waters is to join a club based on a hobby or interest; a running club, a knitting club, a board games club, whatever it is you’re interested in! This will help with anxiety because you already have something in common, it will increase the opportunity to be social with different events, and often allows different levels of commitment, for when you having varying amounts of free time.
Until Next Week,
Nicole x
P.S. Leave a comment with topics to be covered in future newsletters!
References
Stranahan AM, Khalil D, Gould E. Social isolation delays the positive effects of running on adult neurogenesis. Nat Neurosci 2006;9:526-533.
Schloesser RJ, Lehmann M, Martinowich K, Manji HK, Herkenham M. Environmental enrichment requires adult neurogenesis to facilitate the recovery from psychosocial stress. Mol Psychiatry 2010;15:1152-1163.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/09567976221145316
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/27706710.2022.2077639
Victor CR. Is Loneliness a Cause or Consequence of Dementia? A Public Health Analysis of the Literature. Front Psychol. 2021;11:612771
Hi Nicole interesting post, but...
Did you actually know that in classical EBT(early buddhist teachings) theravada buddhist practice, "viveka" ( seclusion in pali) is highly recommended to clear the mind of its impurities and achieve freedom from the taints?
I think the intention "cetana" in Pali is key. You want to isolate yourself from the crowd, from the social club, from whatever distraction, in order to do your practice, so I think that makes a big difference. Very old monks have very clear minds, clearer as any modern urban lay human, without all the modern neuroscience.
If you define happiness as freedom from suffering, that is what they have achieved to a lesser or greater degree. Freedom from dukkha (pali for misery, pain, discomfort, suffering) is actually the goal of Buddhist practice.
So solitude can be a great door opener and tool in the toolbox of a buddhist practitioner and does not necessarily lead to dementia, senility or less grey matter.
So the practice of viveka, accompained wih the practice of Sati ( mindfulness in Pali) and nekkhamma (renunciation in Pāli ) emphasizing the abandonment of worldly attachments and desires does certainly not have the outcomes depicted in this article.
I have been in retreat in the jungle for a month, going on almsround with the monks and was very satisfied and peaceful.
Could be interesting if you could find some RMI scans of old monks.
I am planning to ordain as a monk so would that would be interesting . I know there are a lot of studies and MRI scans of meditating monks taht proof right what i am portraying .
I wish you much success and freedom from suffering. _/\_
Ps/Don't forget to meditate. make it your uppermost priority! 1 hour in the morning and one hour before you go to sleep. keep the mindfulness during the whole day, for the rest of your existance in that body of yours.