- today
In this thought-provoking video, renowned psychiatrist Terry Kupers explores the profound effects of social isolation on the human brain. Discover how a lack of social contact impacts mental health, cognitive function, and emotional well-being. From the science of loneliness to its neurological consequences, this video dives deep into what happens when we’re cut off from human connection. Watch now to understand the critical role social interaction plays in keeping our brains healthy and resilient.#BrainHealth #SocialIsolation #MentalWellness #Neuroscience #HumanConnection #TerryKupers #PsychologyFacts #MentalHealthAwareness #SolitaryConfinement #WellBeing
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00:00Everyone needs time to themselves,
00:08and peaceful solitude has stress-relieving benefits.
00:11But being alone takes on an entirely different dimension
00:16when it creeps up or is forced upon you.
00:20When that's the case, the effects can be surprisingly extensive.
00:25And though different people experience distinct effects at different times,
00:30symptoms tend to become more severe and persistent the longer one's isolated.
00:37When someone is involuntarily confined to one space indefinitely
00:42for days, weeks, months, or even years,
00:47alone and without productive tasks,
00:50their body will likely undergo numerous changes.
00:55Let's take a look at what may happen and why.
00:59Early on, stress hormones may spike, and as time passes, that stress can become chronic.
01:06Social interactions and meaningful activities are essential for emotional stability.
01:12This may be because they provide us with what researchers call social reality testing.
01:18A sort of sounding board where we can gauge how rational our perceptions are.
01:25So, when someone's deprived of those kinds of communication and tasks,
01:31their sense of identity and reality becomes threatened.
01:35Their thoughts spiral and their impulses take the reins, setting the stage for depression,
01:41obsessions, suicidal ideation, and, for some, delusions and hallucinations.
01:48Over time, this prolonged agitation can cause the brain's limbic system, which regulates fear and stress,
01:56to become especially responsive and hyperactive.
02:00Meanwhile, the prefrontal cortex, the brain's hub for reasoning and moral judgment, may shrink, impairing one's focus, memory, and cognition.
02:11Overall, the balance shifts from rational thinking towards emotionality.
02:18And as someone remains in this state, the imbalance becomes ingrained,
02:23making them more prone to bouts of anxiety, rage, and irrational actions.
02:29Isolation will also affect other parts of the person's health.
02:34They may lose sense of time and have difficulties sleeping.
02:38They're more likely to experience heart palpitations, headaches, dizziness, and hypersensitivity.
02:45And they may also lose weight because of stress-induced digestive issues and poor appetite.
02:52One can attempt to cope by establishing the healthiest routine possible under the extreme circumstances,
02:59including robust exercise, reading, and writing.
03:03But that can only do so much.
03:05The United Nations, many human rights organizations, and experts,
03:10classify this kind of forced, prolonged isolation as torture.
03:15And yet, it's something imprisoned people in many countries endure.
03:21Also called solitary confinement or restrictive housing,
03:26the practice is most common in the United States.
03:30In 2019, more than 120,000 U.S. prisoners lived in solitary confinement,
03:37spending 22 to 24 hours a day in mostly windowless cells spanning roughly 6 by 9 feet.
03:46Quaker groups introduced solitary confinement to U.S. prisons
03:50in the late 1700s as an alternative to corporal punishment,
03:55believing it could bring about reflection and penitence, hence penitentiary.
04:01But the practice quickly faced criticism, from public figures all the way to the Supreme Court.
04:07Charles Dickens, for one, condemned solitary confinement as worse than any torture of the body.
04:15Its use dwindled, but then, in the 1980s, alongside more punitive, tough-on-crime laws,
04:22U.S. prison populations skyrocketed.
04:26As prisons grew crowded, incidences of protests, rebellions, and violence grew,
04:32and prison authorities increasingly used solitary confinement to maintain control.
04:38Many people have been placed in solitary confinement for minor, nonviolent infractions,
04:45like talking back to prison guards.
04:48And solitary confinement is harmful to everyone,
04:51but many who've experienced it have pre-existing mental health disorders,
04:56which it only exacerbates.
04:58Solitary confinement also seems to have lasting effects
05:03that make readjusting to life outside of a cell difficult.
05:07People who have gone through solitary confinement
05:10are three times more likely to show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder,
05:15and they commonly report experiencing shifts in their personalities,
05:19increased anxiety and paranoia in otherwise ordinary situations,
05:25and difficulty concentrating and connecting with others.
05:29Some states have restricted the use of solitary confinement
05:32in cases involving serious mental illness, children, or pregnancy,
05:37and some have adopted 15- or 20-day limits for everyone.
05:42But laws that regulate solitary confinement aren't always enforced,
05:47and prison authorities have created loopholes.
05:50Yet solitary confinement does immense damage that is contrary to rehabilitation,
05:56while failing to reduce prison violence.
05:59Meanwhile, other countries have centered more humane approaches.
06:03Norway, for example, imprisons far fewer people per capita than the U.S.,
06:08while spending five times more per prisoner on accommodations,
06:13classes, and work release programs.
06:16Norway also sees far fewer people return to prison after release,
06:21with one of the world's lowest rates of recidivism,
06:24indicating we tend to get better together.
06:30Every year, hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. who can't afford bail
06:35are forced to stay in jail until their case is resolved.
06:39Take a closer look at what has brought
06:41...