America faces a hidden epidemic of loneliness that may make us more vulnerable to the pandemic
What we don’t know is how this will ultimately affect us. The last time a pandemic kept this much of the globe at home, carrier pigeons were in rotation, women couldn’t vote, and people still occasionally died from blisters. A study of the 2003 SARS epidemic — localized though it was — found that “quarantined persons … exhibited a high prevalence of psychological distress,” with PTSD observed in almost 30 percent of cases.
According to Matthew Lieberman, a founder of the field of social cognitive neuroscience and author of the book, evolution could have favored any number of attributes when it came to brain development, but what it chose to favor was our ability to socialize with others.
Still, even under the best of circumstances, there are limits to what technology can achieve. As infants, human attachment is developed through the sense of touch, and that need likely doesn’t go away. Removing even one of the senses from the full sum of social interaction affects animals in ways that still aren’t entirely understood.
According to Steve Cole, the director of the UCLA Social Genomics Core Laboratory, this “loneliness epidemic” is actually a public-health issue.
What this means is that those of us experiencing the loneliness of social isolation may actually be less equipped to fight off the coronavirus. Even more alarming, it has also led some scientists like Sheldon Cohen to question whether it could impact the effectiveness of a potential vaccine. Cohen once did a study in which he gave college freshmen the flu vaccine and over the course of several weeks asked them questions about their social life.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Goldman hikes gold price forecast on debasement fears and a weaker dollarDespite struggling for direction since its sharp gains at the height of the coronavirus crisis, Goldman Sachs analysts are backing gold to rally further on the back of debasement fears and a weakening dollar.
Read more »
Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 review: Photos, price, features, verdict - Business InsiderBusiness Insider is a fast-growing business site with deep financial, media, tech, and other industry verticals. Launched in 2007, the site is now the largest business news site on the web.
Read more »
Wirecard CEO Markus Braun resigns as company share price collapsesWirecard CEO Markus Braun has stepped down as a deepening accounting scandal rocks the company's share price.
Read more »
Katie Price confronts Kris Boyson at home in heated row over Bianca GascoigneKatie Price reportedly rowed with Kris Boyson at his home over his relationship with his new girlfriend Bianca Gascoigne
Read more »
Katie Price drives fans wild with cryptic post after 'confronting Kris Boyson'Katie left fans guessing as she teased that she has some hot goss that she's keeping under wraps
Read more »
Southern California home sales plunged in May, while median price inched upUnder coronavirus lockdown, Southern California home sales fell 45% in May from a year earlier, but the median price rose 2.7%, data firm says.
Read more »