{"id":25852,"date":"2021-06-28T03:02:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-28T03:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=25852"},"modified":"2021-06-29T14:54:35","modified_gmt":"2021-06-29T14:54:35","slug":"the-neuroscience-behind-why-your-brain-may-need-time-to-adjust-to-un-social-distancing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/the-neuroscience-behind-why-your-brain-may-need-time-to-adjust-to-un-social-distancing\/","title":{"rendered":"The neuroscience behind why your brain may need time to adjust to \u2018un-social distancing\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kareem Clark<\/a>, Virginia Tech<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With COVID-19 vaccines working<\/a> and restrictions lifting across the country, it\u2019s finally time for those now vaccinated who\u2019ve been hunkered down at home to ditch the sweatpants and reemerge from their Netflix caves. But your brain may not be so eager to dive back into your former social life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social distancing measures proved essential for slowing COVID-19\u2019s spread worldwide \u2013 preventing upward of an estimated 500 million cases<\/a>. But, while necessary, 15 months away from each other has taken a toll on people\u2019s mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a national survey<\/a> last fall, 36% of adults in the U.S. \u2013 including 61% of young adults \u2013 reported feeling \u201cserious loneliness\u201d during the pandemic. Statistics like these suggest people would be itching to hit the social scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if the idea of making small talk at a crowded happy hour sounds terrifying to you, you\u2019re not alone. Nearly half of Americans reported feeling uneasy<\/a> about returning to in-person interaction regardless of vaccination status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how can people be so lonely yet so nervous about refilling their social calendars?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, the brain is remarkably adaptable. And while we can\u2019t know exactly what our brains have gone through over the last year, neuroscientists like me<\/a> have some insight into how social isolation and resocialization affect the brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"view<\/a>
Too much time alone can make your social thermostat feel on the fritz. Massimiliano Finzi\/Moment via Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Social homeostasis \u2013 the need to socialize<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Humans have an evolutionarily hardwired need to socialize \u2013 though it may not feel like it when deciding between a dinner invite and rewatching \u201cSchitt\u2019s Creek.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From insects to primates, maintaining social networks is critical for survival<\/a> in the animal kingdom. Social groups provide mating prospects, cooperative hunting and protection from predators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But social homeostasis<\/a> \u2013 the right balance of social connections \u2013 must be met. Small social networks can\u2019t deliver those benefits, while large ones increase competition for resources and mates. Because of this, human brains developed specialized circuitry to gauge our relationships and make the correct adjustments \u2013 much like a social thermostat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social homeostasis involves many brain regions<\/a>, and at the center is the mesocorticolimbic circuit<\/a> \u2013 or \u201creward system.\u201d That same circuit motivates you to eat chocolate when you crave something sweet or swipe on Tinder when you crave \u2026 well, you get it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And like those motivations, a recent study found that reducing social interaction causes social cravings<\/a> \u2013 producing brain activity patterns similar to food deprivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So if people hunger for social connection like they hunger for food, what happens to the brain when you starve socially?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"billboard<\/a>
Pandemic health precautions meant many people have spent a lot more time than usual at home \u2013 possibly alone. Education Images\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Your brain on social isolation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Scientists can\u2019t shove people into isolation and look inside their brains. Instead, researchers rely on lab animals to learn more about social brain wiring. Luckily, because social bonds are essential in the animal kingdom<\/a>, these same brain circuits are found across species<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One prominent effect of social isolation is \u2013 you guessed it \u2013 increased anxiety and stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many studies find that removing animals from their cage buddies increases anxiety-like behaviors and cortisol<\/a>, the primary stress hormone. Human studies also support this, as people with small social circles have higher cortisol levels<\/a> and other anxiety-related symptoms similar to socially deprived lab animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evolutionarily this effect makes sense \u2013 animals that lose group protection must become hypervigilant<\/a> to fend for themselves. And it doesn\u2019t just occur in the wild. One study found that self-described \u201clonely\u201d people are more vigilant of social threats<\/a> like rejection or exclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another important region for social homeostasis is the hippocampus<\/a> \u2013 the brain\u2019s learning and memory center. Successful social circles require you to learn social behaviors \u2013 such as selflessness and cooperation<\/a> \u2013 and recognize friends from foes. But your brain stores tremendous amounts of information and must remove unimportant connections<\/a>. So, like most of your high school Spanish \u2013 if you don\u2019t use it, you lose it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several animal studies show that even temporary adulthood isolation impairs both social memory<\/a> \u2013 like recognizing a familiar face \u2013 and working memory<\/a> \u2013 like recalling a recipe while cooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And isolated humans may be just as forgetful. Antarctic expeditioners had shrunken hippocampi<\/a> after just 14 months of social isolation. Similarly, adults with small social circles are more likely to develop memory loss and cognitive decline<\/a> later in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, human beings might not be roaming the wild anymore, but social homeostasis is still critical to survival. Luckily, as adaptable as the brain is to isolation, the same may be true with resocialization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your brain on social reconnection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Though only a few studies have explored the reversibility of the anxiety and stress associated with isolation<\/a>, they suggest that resocialization repairs these effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"several<\/a>
Like humans, marmosets take comfort in companionship. George Rose\/Getty Images News<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One study, for example, found that formerly isolated marmosets first had higher stress and cortisol levels when resocialized<\/a> but then quickly recovered. Adorably, the once-isolated animals even spent more time grooming their new buddies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social memory and cognitive function also seem to be highly adaptable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mouse<\/a> and rat<\/a> studies report that while animals cannot recognize a familiar friend immediately after short-term isolation, they quickly regain their memory after resocializing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there may be hope for people emerging from socially distanced lockdown as well. A recent Scottish study conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic found that residents had some cognitive decline during the harshest lockdown weeks<\/a> but quickly recovered once restrictions eased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, studies like these are still sparse. And while animal research is informative, it likely represents extreme scenarios since people weren\u2019t in total isolation over the last year. Unlike mice stuck in cages, many in the U.S. had virtual game nights and Zoom birthday parties (lucky us).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So power through the nervous elevator chats and pesky brain fog, because \u201cun-social distancing\u201d should reset your social homeostasis very soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Understand new developments in science, health and technology, each week.<\/em> Subscribe to The Conversation\u2019s science newsletter<\/a>.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kareem Clark<\/a>, Postdoctoral Associate in Neuroscience, Virginia Tech<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kareem Clark, Virginia Tech With COVID-19 vaccines working and restrictions lifting across the country, it\u2019s finally time for those now vaccinated who\u2019ve been hunkered down at home to ditch the sweatpants and reemerge from their Netflix caves. But your brain may not be so eager to dive back into your former social life. Social distancing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":25853,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3410],"tags":[10128,1789,329,3997,8079,10129,5163,7899,232,9763,10008,7778,10130,735,1692],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25852"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25852"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25852\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25855,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25852\/revisions\/25855"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}