The Neurobiology of Social Distance

• Published in: Trends in cognitive sciences Vol. 24; no. 9; pp. 717 - 733
• Main Authors: Bzdok, Danilo, Dunbar, Robin I.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2020
• Subjects: Betacoronavirus; Brain - immunology; Brain - metabolism; Brain - physiopathology; Communicable Disease Control; Coronavirus Infections - prevention & control; Coronavirus Infections - psychology; COVID-19 - prevention & control; COVID-19 - psychology; Dementia; friendship; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; loneliness; Loneliness - psychology; mass isolation; Neural Pathways; Online Social Networking; Pandemics - prevention & control; Physical Distancing; Pneumonia, Viral - prevention & control; Psychological Distance; Resilience, Psychological; SARS-CoV-2; social boycott; social brain; Social Isolation - psychology; Social Networking; Social Perception; friendship; mass isolation; loneliness; social boycott; social brain
• ISSN: 1364-6613; 1879-307X; 1879-307X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2020.05.016

Never before have we experienced social isolation on such a massive scale as we have in response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, we know that the social environment has a dramatic impact on our sense of life satisfaction and well-being. In times of distress, crisis, or disaster, human resilience depends on the richness and strength of social connections, as well as on active engagement in groups and communities. Over recent years, evidence emerging from various disciplines has made it abundantly clear: perceived social isolation (i.e., loneliness) may be the most potent threat to survival and longevity. We highlight the benefits of social bonds, the choreographies of bond creation and maintenance, as well as the neurocognitive basis of social isolation and its deep consequences for mental and physical health. From babies to the elderly, psychosocial embedding in interpersonal relationships is crucial for survival.Insufficient social stimulation affects reasoning and memory performance, hormone homeostasis, brain grey/white matter connectivity and function, as well as resilience to physical and mental disease.Feelings of loneliness can spread through a social network, causing negatively skewed social perception, escalating morbidity and mortality, and, in older people, precipitating the onset of dementia (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease).