Interplay of genetics and loneliness
Interplay of genetics and loneliness
Evolutionary causes of loneliness
Ageism in Healthcare and Beyond
Social evolution and loneliness
Social interaction is an integral part of human society. Evolutionary mechanism selects against social isolation, so our bodies have negative responses to perceived isolation.
Learn about why social interaction matters and why the the lack of it causes negative responses in our physical system.
Social interaction is important for social animals' survival, including humans
Social interaction are crucial for social animals for food gathering, child caring, and resource sharing.
Because of its essentiality, body develops a biological warning system for an absence of social interaction
Adverse nature of social isolation prompts negative bodily responses
Social isolation increases people's vigilance of others and an increased self-centeredness
These responses may negatively prevents people from regaining social interactions
The extent to which individuals react to loneliness depends on genetics and environmental factors
The interaction between one's genetic information and environment determines one's sensitivity to loneliness
Loneliness is an adaptable trait that is selected against in human population
Loneliness is an evolutionary response for social animals like humans.
Human body may perceive social isolation as a threat to survival thus developing negative responses to loneliness.
The extent to which one responses to social interaction depends on the interaction of genetic formation and environmental factors
Source:
Spithoven, A.W. et al. (2019). Genetic Contributions to Loneliness and Their Relevance to the Evolutionary Theory of Loneliness.
Perspectives on Psychological Science 14(3) 376-396.