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Social isolation and the brain in the pandemic era

Author

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  • Danilo Bzdok

    (McGill University)

  • Robin I. M. Dunbar

    (University of Oxford)

Abstract

Intense sociality has been a catalyst for human culture and civilization, and our social relationships at a personal level play a pivotal role in our health and well-being. These relationships are, however, sensitive to the time we invest in them. To understand how and why this should be, we first outline the evolutionary background in primate sociality from which our human social world has emerged. We then review defining features of that human sociality, putting forward a framework within which one can understand the consequences of mass social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, including mental health deterioration, stress, sleep disturbance and substance misuse. We outline recent research on the neural basis of prolonged social isolation, highlighting especially higher-order neural circuits such as the default mode network. Our survey of studies covers the negative effects of prolonged social deprivation and the multifaceted drivers of day-to-day pandemic experiences.

Suggested Citation

  • Danilo Bzdok & Robin I. M. Dunbar, 2022. "Social isolation and the brain in the pandemic era," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 6(10), pages 1333-1343, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nathum:v:6:y:2022:i:10:d:10.1038_s41562-022-01453-0
    DOI: 10.1038/s41562-022-01453-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Maxwell N. Burton-Chellew & Robin I.M. Dunbar, 2015. "Hamilton’s rule predicts anticipated social support in humans," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 26(1), pages 130-137.
    2. R. Nathan Spreng & Emile Dimas & Laetitia Mwilambwe-Tshilobo & Alain Dagher & Philipp Koellinger & Gideon Nave & Anthony Ong & Julius M. Kernbach & Thomas V. Wiecki & Tian Ge & Yue Li & Avram J. Holme, 2020. "The default network of the human brain is associated with perceived social isolation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Anne-Laura van Harmelen & Jenny L Gibson & Michelle C St Clair & Matt Owens & Jeannette Brodbeck & Valerie Dunn & Gemma Lewis & Tim Croudace & Peter B Jones & Rogier A Kievit & Ian M Goodyer, 2016. "Friendships and Family Support Reduce Subsequent Depressive Symptoms in At-Risk Adolescents," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(5), pages 1-20, May.
    4. Eiluned Pearce & Rafael Wlodarski & Anna Machin & Robin I M Dunbar, 2019. "Exploring the links between dispositions, romantic relationships, support networks and community inclusion in men and women," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(5), pages 1-12, May.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Saavedra, Martín & Mira, Jorge & Muñuzuri, Alberto P. & Seoane, Luís F., 2023. "A spectrum of complexity uncovers Dunbar’s number and other leaps in social structure," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).

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