MADRID, Jun 10 (EUROPA PRESS) –
A new article published in the journal ‘Trends in Cognitive Sciences’ has explored the far-reaching negative consequences that social isolation has on our psychological well-being and physical health, including decreased life expectancy. The document was jointly drafted by Danilo Bzdok of McGill University and the Mila Artificial Intelligence Institute in Canada ‘and Robin Dunbar of Oxford University.
By examining a wide range of studies, a comprehensive picture was obtained of the serious impact that loneliness can have: “having strong interpersonal relationships is critical to lifelong survival; social isolation is a significant predictor of risk of death; insufficient social stimulation affects reasoning and memory performance, hormonal homeostasis, gray / white matter of the brain, connectivity and function, as well as resistance to physical and mental illness feelings of loneliness can spread through a social network, causing a negatively biased social perception, increasing morbidity and mortality and, in the elderly, precipitating the onset of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease. “
Loneliness directly affects the immune system, making us less resistant to disease and infection. In fact, feeling lonely and having few friends can lead to particularly poor immune defense. However, people who are more socially integrated have better adjusted biomarkers for physiological function, such as lower systolic blood pressure, lower body mass index, and lower levels of C-reactive protein (another molecular response to inflammation).
Human beings are intensely social and psychologically and physically benefit from social interaction. The closer we are in a network of friends, for example, the less likely we are to get sick and the higher the survival rates. People who belong to more groups, such as sports clubs, church, hobby groups, have been found to reduce their risk of future depression by almost 25 percent.
“We are social creatures. Social interaction and cooperation have fueled the rapid rise of human culture and civilization. However, social species struggle when forced to live in isolation. From infants to the elderly, psychosocial integration in interpersonal relationships it is fundamental for survival. Now it is more urgent than ever to reduce the knowledge gap on how social isolation affects the human brain, as well as mental and physical well-being “, details Danilo Bzdok.
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