Social isolation and the loneliness it causes, as well as reducing an individual's cognitive abilities and increasing the risk of dementia in the elderly

The reluctance to socialize with others because of "social fear" can be said to be a common phenomenon

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It should be noted that the objective state of social isolation is not equated with the subjective feeling of loneliness – for example, some people socialize frequently but still feel lonely

To date, a large number of studies have focused on the effects of social distancing and loneliness on our health, and such effects are always harmful, and can even be fatal

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For example, a review paper in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science in Perspectives pointed out that social distancing and loneliness are highly correlated with a variety of health problems: these people are at higher

The latest discovery of the Nobel Prize team is that loneliness is a disease, and even fruit flies can't sleep

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Among the many health hazards of social isolation and loneliness, the direct impact on brain structure and function is also the focus

Recently, a study published in the journal Neuronology pointed out that social isolation and the loneliness caused by it can cause a decrease in the volume of gray matter in the brain, reduce the cognitive ability of individuals, and increase the risk

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To that end, the study first explored the question of how social distancing and loneliness affect gray matter, an area where neurons congregate in large numbers

Analysis of these data showed that people who were socially isolated and lonely had worse cognitive performance, including weaker memory and longer

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What are the mechanisms by which social distancing affects the brain in a complex way? The researchers say more research is needed to test
it.
But what is certain is that in the absence of social interaction, people are more likely to face long-term stress, which in turn affects
the brain.
In addition, if we lack social interaction for a long time, the function of our brain areas involved in language and other cognitive processes (e.
g.
, attention, memory) may also be weakened
.
This may affect the ability to
participate in complex cognitive tasks.

Including this latest study, a large number of studies agree that social isolation and loneliness are invisibly profoundly affecting people's physical and mental health
.
Therefore, effective interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy are also crucial
for this population.
From the individual to the social level, preventing and eliminating social distancing and loneliness requires multi-layered solutions
.

For humans, social animals, no matter how old we are, we can have fun
interacting with other people.
Now, a growing body of scientific discovery tells us that communication is also critical
to our cognitive health.

In response to the call of the World Health Organization (WHO), WuXi AppTec content team will hold an online public welfare forum
on World Mental Health Day in October this year.
Guests from leading institutions around the world will discuss online how "mental health care for all becomes a reality.
"