Our internal fight against loneliness

TheScienceBreaker | Science meets Society

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Break submission by Gillian Matthews Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Simons Center for the Social Brain, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston, USA

As social creatures, all aspects of our daily lives are powerfully shaped by our social experiences. The social bonds that we nurture throughout our lives provide us with protection, support, companionship, and enjoyment: enabling the human race to survive and flourish. Our innate craving for social connection is plainly revealed by the intensely unpleasant experience of loneliness – a concept that the characters of John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ were only too familiar with. While, arguably, we all have an intuitive knowledge of what loneliness feels like, it can be defined as ‘a perceived absence of satisfying social connections’. Given the vast array of social opportunities available in this day and age, it might seem paradoxical that loneliness is increasing throughout society. This comes with the burden of low emotional state and poor mental health, but also brings with it damaging effects to physical well-being. (read the full article on TheScienceBreaker)