How Do Loneliness and Social Isolation Affect the Brain?

Loneliness has doubled in America since the 80s, with more than 40% of adults saying they have experienced it. Should you be worried if you feel the same? Can loneliness and isolation have a severe impact on your health?

Social isolation is different from loneliness, though. A human being can be socially isolated but not feel lonely while someone else can feel so in the middle of a crowd. Social isolation means not interacting with other people, while loneliness is the distressing feeling of not belonging. Social isolation for a long time may give rise to loneliness, but that's necessarily the case.

The COVID-19 pandemic obligated people all around the world to socially isolate themselves. Even before the pandemic, millions of people lived in social isolation. According to WHO 20–34% of older people in China, Europe, Latin America, and the United States of America are lonely.

Loneliness can be experienced even in a market full of people. ( Photo via Pixaboy/ Gray Dickason)

If you experience loneliness, it feels like you are a thousand miles away from others even if there are people around you.

It's a lack of connection rather than a lack of people in our lives. Society and media perpetuate the life of living a social and connected life. When we feel that our lives don't fit this mould, we feel a strong sense of shame, as loneliness can often feel like a personal failure.

Fundamentally, humans are social beings. To survive for millennia as hunter-gatherers in frequently hostile environments, people relied on strong relationships with close-knit social groups. At all ages, having strong social relationships is crucial for our overall well-being, including our mental and physical health.

---

Loneliness and Isolation Impact Brain

Many studies have been conducted on the relationship between loneliness, social isolation, and health. Although not all researchers have the same conclusion, they do suggest that social isolation and loneliness can impair brain function and cognition.

Some aspects of loneliness and isolation are:

1) Mental Health

Socially isolated people have an increased risk of cognitive decline. such as impaired concentration, memory loss, dementia and loss of social abilities. They may also suffer adverse emotional consequences, such as depression, stress, and anxiety. They may fall sick more often and have a shorter life span too.

---

2) Physical Changes in Brain

Do loneliness and social isolation lead to physical changes in our body? Unfortunately, yes.

Three areas of the brain have shown the most significant changes in social isolation and loneliness studies. The prefrontal cortex is an area that's primarily responsible for executive functions.

It's the seat of conscious decision-making, personality, and navigating our socio-behavioral roles. Some studies have shown reduced prefrontal cortex volume in people who feel lonely. In research with rodents, which are also social animals, ones that were isolated from others showed dysregulation in this critical brain region.

Another area that's affected is the Hippocampus. It's known for storing information, learning, and processing emotions.

The hippocampus and many other brain regions use the brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), keeping neurons healthy. A smaller than typical hippocampus and reduced amounts of BDNF are typically found in socially isolated people and animals.

Finally, cortisol, which is usually released during stressful situations and can damage hippocampal neurons, becomes elevated in socially isolated people. We live in the most connected time in history, yet an unprecedented number of us feel isolated.

---

3) Can Affect Anyone

Loneliness is a bodily function, like hunger. Hunger makes you pay attention to your physical needs, while loneliness makes you do so to your social needs.

Our culture focuses on individualism, which moves us away from the group. While there's a common stereotype that loneliness affects only the elderly, it has been found that more and more young adults experience loneliness.

---

4) Survival

Loneliness can take over so many lives. ( Photo via Unsplash/ Micheile dot com )

Chronic loneliness and isolation can impact at the cellular level. Researchers have found that people who experience loneliness have 209 gene expressions in some of their white blood cells, increasing their chances of inflammation.

Although inflammation is important for our recovery, chronic inflammation wreaks havoc on the body. Poor social relationships lead to a 29% increase in coronary heart disease and 32% increase of stroke.

---

Takeaway

Millions of people experience loneliness and isolation, so there's no reason for you to shoulder this burden alone.

Although the effects of loneliness and isolation are not immediate, they can lead to long-term changes at many levels. If you're feeling lonely, know that you're not alone. Taking simple steps, like maintaining eye contact with your loved ones, can go a long way in the road to recovery.

---

Janvi Kapur is a counsellor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with specialization in clinical psychology.