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Loneliness Affects How The Brain Operates

sciencedaily.com — Social isolation affects how people behave as well as how their brains operate, a study at the University of Chicago shows. The research is the first to use fMRI scans to study the connections between perceived social isolation (or loneliness) and activity in the brain.

Who dugg this? Made popular Feb 17, 2009

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  • ZIRCHxWORLD, on 02/17/2009, -6/+61when im lonely my brain is usually busy talking to me
  • geoboy, on 02/17/2009, -4/+35Loneliness and cheeseburgers are a dangerous mix.
  • meruru, on 02/17/2009, -2/+30I'm not lonely, I have my stuffed animal friends
  • Klowner, on 02/17/2009, -1/+25Thankfully, the terror eventually dissipates into a deep soul crushing pain.

    I'm having a great day, honest! :-/
  • defektiv, on 02/17/2009, -1/+21They're kind of stating the obvious here, for example:

    "the temporoparietal junction—a region associated with taking the perspective of another person—is much less activated among lonely than in the non-lonely when viewing pictures of people in unpleasant settings."

    And I can't help but feel like the article is saying it's not ok to be lonely or alone. And I just have to say it's not always true that a lonely person is unhappy. I've done a lot of ***** in my life with other people and I've just found that I'm much happier when I don't have to deal with other peoples crap. There's nothing wrong with this and there's ways to be happy alone.
  • vilago, on 02/17/2009, -3/+22because diggers are 90% lonely fappers
  • Klowner, on 02/17/2009, -0/+18You forgot to loop back to Loneliness.
  • pstroll, on 02/17/2009, -4/+22Loneliness -> Pornography -> Self Gratification -> Messy Keyboard -> Feeling of Disgust

    now where is my Nobel prize??!!
  • Stupidumb, on 02/17/2009, -2/+20Yes, sensei
  • downwithpeople, on 02/17/2009, -2/+19*fap* *fap* *fap* *fap* *fap* *fap* *fap*...
  • noncn4mst, on 04/15/2009, -0/+14I can vouch for this: I've been freelancing from home for 2 years... My social skills have gone to *****!
  • Icetype, on 02/17/2009, -0/+13For someone with the name Meat Mountain, you're not very understanding. :P
  • judolphin, on 02/17/2009, -2/+15Not really a surprise. If you think about it, loneliness (or often, the fear of loneliness) is perhaps the greatest driver of human behavior there is. We may want to be alone by choice at times, but we are terrified to be truly alone.
  • jasdf, on 02/17/2009, -0/+11My social skills never developed.
  • MeatMountain, on 02/17/2009, -1/+12Your LEFT hand? That's disgusting you pervert.
  • Navicerts, on 02/17/2009, -1/+11I don't think the study is suggesting that your brain controls you. The study is suggesting that brain activity is different in lonely people (primarily the "reward" centers for the brain) but goes on to say it is non-conclusive which preceded which. Nothing really surprising there imo but kudos for the people who did th study none the less.
  • krunktar, on 02/17/2009, -0/+9I knew I wasn't the only one!
  • MrAsparagus, on 02/17/2009, -0/+9"Given their feelings of social isolation, lonely individuals may be left to find relative comfort in nonsocial rewards,"

    There's a long list of these 'nonsocial rewards'.
  • EyewitBass, on 02/17/2009, -3/+12I'm so ronery....
  • gumballer, on 02/17/2009, -5/+13http://digg.com/health/Researchers_link_loneliness ...
  • xtmno3, on 02/17/2009, -0/+8A couple reasons:
    1. People who frequent digg get bored seeing the same 10 or so things on the front page for like a month because it keeps getting submitted

    2. Those who submit things feel robbed if they are first and someone else steals their thunder.

    There are refutes and counter-refutes for both, but that is the high-level reasoning for people complaining about dupes.
  • outoforder, on 02/17/2009, -4/+12Isn't this obvious? Did we need a scientific study to convince us?
  • stonebear, on 02/17/2009, -0/+8Wandering Sun picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been

    Lives in a dream

    Waits at the window, wearing a face that he keeps in a jar by the door

    Who is it for?
  • jasdf, on 02/17/2009, -0/+7*eat* *eat* *eat* *eat* *eat* *eat* *eat*...
  • inactive, on 02/17/2009, -2/+9Dr. Manhattan: LEAVE ME ALONE!!!
  • twertyto, on 02/17/2009, -3/+10I didn't see the first article when it hit the front page around 1 AM my time.

    Is it that bad that two submissions of the same thing hit the front page? I don't get why people whine about this so much.

  • whahaa, on 02/17/2009, -1/+8it's not so terrifying once you've spent a decade or two getting used to it.
  • RoboDonut, on 02/17/2009, -1/+8My conjecture sense is tingling.

    You're mixing philosophy with science and treating it as fact. That's a bad idea.
  • DonAlfred, on 02/17/2009, -1/+8I don't need friends.

    I got porn and my left hand. All i need.
  • DonAlfred, on 02/17/2009, -0/+7Feels good man.
  • erhanaltay, on 02/17/2009, -0/+6Notice what's important is not whether or not you're alone but 'preceived social isolation' call me a nerd but my activity on sites like Digg, youtube, facebook, political message boards, slash dot, etc etc give me a sense social cohesion. I don't feel at all isolated when I'm engaging in internet activity, even when I'm alone in my basement for weeks at a time.
  • stonebear, on 02/17/2009, -0/+6This was a fascinating listen:

    Loneliness: Human Nature And The Need For Social Connection ~ Cacciopo & Patrick (2008)
    http://scienceofloneliness.com/?q=readaboutthebook
    http://www.learnoutloud.com/Sale-Section/Self-Deve ...
    http://www.mininova.org/tor/2125889
  • stonebear, on 02/17/2009, -0/+6Actually it's quite a bit more complex than that. There are important real world aspects of socializing that cannot be duplicated online; thus psychologists generally regard internet relationships as parasocial. Like pets; they are certainly better than nothing, but ultimately cannot fill the human social need adequately. Of course technology will probably change all that in time, but that is how it is now and in the immediate future.
  • Nastymunky, on 02/17/2009, -0/+6And acute shortage of HDD space...
  • jasdf, on 02/17/2009, -0/+6You need some sort of condition to break the loop.
  • protodon, on 02/17/2009, -0/+6This article did not have a favorable word to picture ratio.
  • cesclaveria, on 02/17/2009, -0/+5poof! ** goes to mars **
  • tgc1, on 02/17/2009, -1/+6Well that explains the popularity of Social Networks.
  • xbasilx, on 02/17/2009, -3/+8being alone is not synonymous with loneliness. people who are emotionally incompetent are lonely, while others flourish in solitude.

    A man can be himself only so long as he is alone;
    and, if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom;
    for it is only when he is alone that he is really free.
    [ Arthur Schopenhauer ]

    whatever you have made of yourself will be emphasized when you are alone because there's no one else to distract you. so people who live rich lives will be even more enriched, and people who think being alone means being lonely are not lonely in solitude, but have the same sense of quiet desperation even when they are with others. solitude is your mirror, what you see there also is present when you're in the company of others.

    I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of the
    time. To be in company, even with the best, is soon
    wearisome and dissipating. I love to be alone. I never
    found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.
    [ HD Thoreau ]
  • outoforder, on 02/17/2009, -0/+5Right, I understand the usefulness and application of scientific data.

    I just find the title of this article humorous. Imagine someone writing an article titled "Sadness Affects How The Brain Operates". Wouldn't that amuse you? A better title would be, "How Loneliness Affects The Brain".
  • christoast, on 02/18/2009, -0/+5I don't have any friends, I just live my life in my head (my computer, books, games, learn different things) and thats ok. You can get good at being alone, its not like its this huge tragedy that the media makes it out to be.
  • Nauree, on 02/17/2009, -4/+8Buried for duplicate story that was on the front page an hour ago.
  • Companionship, on 02/17/2009, -1/+5People who are interested in the subject of the (evolutionary) biology, concepts and effects of loneliness may wish to read:

    Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection
    by John T. Cacioppo and, William Patrick.

    Its a dense read and not the world most uplifting book, but full of a lot deep scientific information.
  • ClevelandBrown, on 02/17/2009, -1/+5Mine tells me to burn things...
  • Stupidumb, on 02/17/2009, -0/+4Social activity is inversely proportional to porn use.
  • GlassAgate, on 02/17/2009, -0/+3So ronery...
  • incongruity, on 02/17/2009, -0/+3And recent research is showing that, in fact, online socializing can do a lot for people -- don't always trust the old school when it comes to newfangled technology.

    In any case, erhanaltay is pretty much correct -- it's all the various flavors of perceived social isolation that cause the problem -- that's kinda what it means to be lonely, after all.

    Being someone who flies solo frequently isn't necessarily what these studies are driving at -- it's being alone and wishing you weren't in some way or another.

    For example, the scale they're probably using to assess the participants' level of loneliness is the UCLA Loneliness Scale: http://www.psychology.iastate.edu/~ccutrona/uclalo ... ( to see the whole scale look at: http://www3.shastacollege.edu/lvalvatne/psych15/uc ...
  • stonebear, on 02/18/2009, -0/+3And the sobbing.
  • algaeturd, on 02/19/2009, -0/+3That's your own perspective. There's a huge difference between being alone and loneliness. I've always liked my alone time, even for great lengths at a time. It's caused some havoc on relationships in the past but I love my work and I can't truly get work done unless I'm isolated.
    It doesn't make me unhappy or depressed; on the contrary it's rewarding. I know that if I need some interaction or friendship, it's there for me if I reach out for it to friends and family.

    I can tell you this: I'd hate to be on the other side of the coin. People who NEED others around are generally crippled by themselves. I couldn't stand that kind of life....always waiting on and needing others, at the mercy of planning your life around not being alone.

    Sartre said it best: "hell is others.' He was right. As with everything, there are limits and no extreme is good but overall, I agree 100%. Hell is others.
  • shunban, on 02/18/2009, -0/+3When I'm lonely, I call up Tyler Durden for some beer.
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