Brain scans hint that lonely individuals process the world differently

Photo credit

Lonely individuals respond in different ways to video stimuli, according to a recent study by the University of Southern California-Dornsife. Recorded and classified by functional magnetic resonance imaging scans, those who scored higher in loneliness were found to have different brain imaging results compared to those who were less lonely. The researchers have suggested that these findings could indicate that being surrounded by predominantly dissimilar people could be a risk factor for loneliness.

The research is consistent with a study published in 2020 by McGill University, which used the UK’s Biobank to research 40,000 people. It found that differences existed in the brains of lonely individuals in areas responsible for memories, social cognition, and imagination. The current research is lacking an answer to whether the specific brain processing seen in those who experience loneliness is a cause or a result of their disconnection. Recent surveys have reported high levels of loneliness among Americans, sparking concerns about a potential "loneliness epidemic" that could pose a danger to health. Social media has been pointed to as a factor, as experts suggest that regular exposure to carefully curated social media posts can intensify feelings of isolation and loneliness.

What did I learn:

• Lonely individuals process visual stimuli in unique ways, which may contribute to or exacerbate feelings of loneliness.
• Lonely people have dissimilar neural responses to non-lonely people when viewing video content. Differences in brain responses between lonely and non-lonely people may be due to differences in preferences, expectations, and memories.

Read the whole article at Big Think

#loneliness #mentalhealth #brainprocessing #videostimuli #neuralresponses

💬 What are some factors that contribute to feelings of loneliness?

Did you like this topic? Then you might also enjoy reading the post "Loneliness associated with unhealthful diets and physical inactivity among US college students"