Reimagining Loneliness During A Pandemic

“We can all fight against loneliness by engaging in random acts of kindness.”- Gail Honeyman. Oftentimes we confuse being alone and loneliness. It is not uncommon for an individual with family and friends around to complain about loneliness. Loneliness is a feeling, while aloneness is a state of being. Psychology Today defines loneliness as, the state of distress or discomfort that results when one perceives a gap between one’s desires for social interaction and actual experiences of it. The lack of genuineness in relationships can results in feelings of loneliness. Emerging research from McGill University in Toronto has concluded that lonely people were more likely to have increased activity in areas of the brain tied to reminiscing, thinking about others and future planning, according to a study published recently in the journal Nature Communications. This emerging development is both plausible and logical since many individuals who suffer from loneliness have had to use their imagination at times to carry them through difficult periods of loneliness. Loneliness speaks to the quality of relationships one has rather than the quantity of relationships. Too often the news surrounding loneliness is negative and associated with some form of mental disorder. It is rather encouraging news emerging from McGill University regarding loneliness and the positive impact on the brain’s imagination. The researchers had hypothesized that the so-called default network in the brain, which is involved in memory and social cognition, was likely to undergo changes related to loneliness. The coronavirus pandemic has magnified the impact of loneliness in societies across the globe. Many of us have had our normal day to day activities uprooted during this pandemic. Our lives have been upended and we have been forced to adopt and embrace a new normal. While the world waits to be inoculated with the COVID19 vaccine the toil on our psyche has been incalculable. Undoubtedly, social isolation during COVID19 has become more common. Human beings are social creatures. Perhaps this is why governments have had a challenge regarding social distancing measures designed and used to curb the increase of the coronavirus. We had to isolate ourselves from many familial and peer relationships in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. Those in institutional care, especially in nursing homes maybe have suffered most as their families and loved ones have not been able to visit them in an age of lockdown and quarantine. In light of the potential health consequences for those who feel like they have few or no supportive social connections, widespread loneliness poses a major societal challenge. In other instances the death of a spouse or a loved one might result in a state of loneliness. The times in which we live underscore a demand for increased outreach and connection on a personal level too. According to Psychology Today, a number of unfavorable outcomes have been linked to loneliness. In addition to its association with depressive symptoms and other forms of mental illness, loneliness is a risk factor for heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and arthritis, among other diseases. Lonely people are also twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, research suggests. The state of chronic loneliness may trigger adverse physiological responses such as the increased production of stress hormones, hinder sleep, and result in weakened immunity. The emotional and psychological impact of the coronavirus is greatly understated, especially in developing societies where the necessary research is lacking. Many individuals are not coping with the double impact of loneliness and COVID19. Those who had little or no social connectivity prior to the pandemic must be emotionally drained. As a society we still discriminate against those we suspect of or those who have been diagnosed with mental disorders. This stigmatization of mental health forces many with the condition not to seek medical help and they suffer in silence. Data-Driven Information In 2018, the United Kingdom appointed a Minister of Loneliness in order to coordinate and address the wide ranging issues associated with loneliness. Prior to the pandemic, loneliness was increasingly seen as a public health concern. Data has shown that lonely adults are about 1.64 times more likely to develop dementia compared with those who do not self-report loneliness. Researchers in the UK went hrough brain images from 40,000 subjects, all pulled from the UK Biobank, a large-scale database storing biomedical information from some 500,000 British people. Participants in that study, ranged in age from 40 to 69, filled out assessments that included questions asking whether they felt lonely or not. The researchers then compared MRI scans of self-identified lonely people with those who did not feel loneliness on a regular basis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) reports that more than one-third of adults aged 45 and older feel lonely, and nearly one-fourth of adults aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated. Older adults are at increased risk for loneliness and social isolation because they are more likely to face factors such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and hearing loss. Unfortunately, we do not have much data on the impact of loneliness in Jamaica. However, based on research done elsewhere one can deduce the impact loneliness have on humans beings. Loneliness and Imagination It is difficult to measure or quantify social isolation and loneliness to an exact number, the anecdotal evidence is that the older one gets the higher the level of social isolation. The researchers' hypothesis that the default network in the brain was active during loneliness was a logical one, because those are parts involved in thinking about self, according to Dr. Kenneth Heilman, professor emeritus in the University of Florida's department of neurology, whose books include "Creativity and the Brain and "The Believer’s Brain." Heilman was not involved in the McGill study. "There's an old, old saying in neurology that we always use. And that's 'use it or lose it,'" Heilman said. Although parts of the brain primed for creativity and thinking about the self can grow during loneliness that could mean that other social parts of the brain would atrophy from inactivity. "The big question comes up, do you start losing other parts of the brain that are important for interactions?" Heilman asked. "If you don't use them, eventually, will that lead to more of a dementing kind of disorder?" Minority Groupings In all societies, refugees and the older population are extremely vulnerable. Additionally, those who are viewed as abnormal are shunned and isolated. This discriminatory practice is counter to the United Nations Development Goal #13 which addresses the reduction of inequalities. Those individuals are among the most vulnerable groups in the society and account for a significant percentage of those negatively impacted by loneliness. Additionally, in homophobic societies such as ours those who fall in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community are oftentimes shunned by their families and friends. This abandonment of individuals in these vulnerable groups predisposes this category of persons to a higher prevalence of loneliness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “current research suggests that immigrant, and lesbian, gay, bisexual populations experience loneliness more often than other groups. Latino immigrants, for example, “have fewer social ties and lower levels of social integration than US-born Latinos.” First-generation immigrants experience stressors that can increase their social isolation, such as language barriers, differences in community, family dynamics, and new relationships that lack depth or history, the report states. Similarly, gay, lesbian, and bisexual populations tend to have more loneliness than their heterosexual peers because of stigma, discrimination, and barriers to care.” Technology and Social Inclusion As we enter the Yuletide Season we must ensure that our family and friends are well. Many of us are in need of psycho-social support and we need to seek help in this regard. The technology is readily available, and along with the various social media platforms there is no excuse for us not to take the time to check up on each other. It is our responsibility to check in on each other while adhering to the COVID19 protocols. We must maintain our relations and social connectivity during this pandemic. Social inclusion is especially important around holidays as many persons experience depression and loneliness. The need to foster a society in which we empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, origin, religion or economic or other status, is more pronounced than ever before. We are all connected and our connectedness should not be cast in biases which will result in discrimination. Loneliness does not discriminate. In the words of Harriet Goldhor Lerner, only through our connectedness to others can we really know and enhance the self. And only through working on the self can be begin to enhance our connectedness to others. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo ©