Feeling Lonely? Your Brain May Process The World Differently

Short Wave

NPR

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🗓️ 8 December 2023

⏱️ 16 minutes

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Summary

The U.S. is in the midst of a loneliness epidemic. And for a lot of people, the feeling is even more pronounced during the holidays. In addition to its emotional impact, chronic loneliness and social isolation have some dramatic health consequences: increased risk of heart disease and stroke, infections, cancer, even premature death. Recent research also suggests that loneliness can change the way people process the world. So today on the show, host Regina G. Barber talks to Rachel Carlson about the neuroscience of loneliness.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.
0:05.0	Hey Shortwaavers Regina Barbara here with producer Rachel Carlson.
0:09.0	Hey Rachel.
0:10.0	Hello Gina.
0:11.0	So welcome back. Tell me what's on your mind.
0:13.0	So I've been thinking a lot about loneliness.
0:16.0	Oh no.
0:17.0	Yeah, I mean, it's something tons of people experience I definitely have.
0:21.0	I mean, same here. I also think about loneliness a good amount.
0:25.4	Gina that totally makes sense because it's a huge issue.
0:28.6	The US Surgeon General even called the loneliness epidemic a public health crisis in May and for a lot of people
0:35.6	it's something that's even more pronounced during the holiday season.
0:39.1	Yeah it can be really tough this time of year And there are also some pretty dramatic health
0:43.9	consequences too. Loneliness and social isolation can be linked to things like
0:49.0	increased risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, infections, even early death.
0:55.8	Wow, that's really bleak.
0:58.1	Yeah, it is.
0:59.1	So it's both this cognitive experience and a physical one. Alyssa Beck is a social neuroscientist at USC studying the basis of social interaction
1:08.0	and she says she got into the research because she's also had this feeling before.
1:12.0	I went through a pretty significant period of loneliness
1:15.0	as a lot of people do in my transition
1:19.0	to being a college first year,
	...

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