Loneliness Affects the Brain

The Neumayer III polar station is located near the unforgiving Ekström Ice Shelf in Antarctica. No one can come or go from the station during the winter, when temperatures can drop below minus 50 degrees Celsius and winds can reach more than 100 kilometers per hour. Its isolation is critical to the meteorological, atmospheric, and geophysical science experiments conducted there by the small group of scientists who work at the station during the winter and endure its frigid isolation.

However, a few years ago, the station became the site of a study on loneliness. A German research team wanted to see if social isolation and environmental monotony affected the brains of people who spent long periods of time in Antarctica. Eight expeditioners who worked at the Neumayer III station for 14 months agreed to have their brains scanned before and after their mission, as well as their brain chemistry and cognitive performance monitored.

According to the researchers, when compared to a control group, the socially isolated group lost volume in their prefrontal cortex — the region of the brain at the front of the brain, just behind the forehead, that is primarily responsible for decision-making and problem-solving. They also had lower levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein that promotes nerve cell development and survival in the brain. The decrease lasted at least a month and a half after the team returned from Antarctica.

It's unclear how much of this was due to the experience's social isolation. However, the findings are consistent with evidence from more recent studies that chronic loneliness alters the brain in ways that exacerbate the problem.

According to neuroscience, loneliness isn't always caused by a lack of opportunities to meet new people or a fear of social interactions. Instead, brain circuits and behavioral changes can trap us in a catch-22 situation: while we crave connection with others, we perceive them to be untrustworthy, judgmental, and unfriendly. As a result, we maintain our distance, consciously or unconsciously passing up potential opportunities for connections.

Because loneliness is entirely subjective, it can be difficult to study empirically. A related condition, social isolation, is distinct in that it is an objective measure of how few relationships a person has. Although researchers have developed tools such as the UCLA Loneliness Scale to assist in assessing the depths of an individual's feelings, the experience of loneliness must be self-reported.

According to such research, the physical and psychological toll of loneliness is significant all over the world. According to one survey, 22% of Americans and 23% of Britons feel lonely on a regular or frequent basis. That was prior to the pandemic. 36% of Americans reported "serious loneliness" in October 2020.

Loneliness Affects the Brain - Science at Virtual Solutions (virtualsolv.com)