Why We Need Loneliness
Now that we have established that Loneliness is a Disease, researchers are trying to understand exactly how loneliness causes disease at the cellular level. And they’re finding that loneliness is far more than a psychological pain; it’s a biological wound that wreaks havoc on our cells. “Social isolation is far and away the strongest social risk factor out there,” , “The level of toxicity from loneliness is stunning.”
Steve Cole, a genetics researcher at the University of California Los Angeles, and John Cacioppo, a University of Chicago psychologist who frequently collaborates with Cole on loneliness studies.
“THERE IS A HUGE HIDDEN EPIDEMIC OF LONELINESS, AND DISENFRANCHISEMENT FROM THE HUMAN RACE”
How Loneliness Influence Our Biology
The very cells of people who lived through periods of chronic loneliness looked different. More specifically, the white blood cells of people who suffered through chronic loneliness appeared to be stuck in a state of fear. Cole and his colleagues observed two main genetic differences between lonely and non-lonely people.
1) Genes that code for the body’s inflammation response are turned on to a degree not seen in non-lonely participants which isn’t good. “Inflammation is great at responding to acute injury, but if you have inflammation going chronically, it serves as a fertilizer for chronic diseases like atherosclerosis and cardio vascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases, and metastatic cancer,” he says. “That provides one reasonable biological explanation for why they might be at an increased risk for these diseases.”
2) “At the same time, in almost like a teeter-totter regulatory dynamic, we see down-regulated, or suppressed activity, in a block of genes involved in fending off against viral infections.” Those genes code for proteins known as type-1 interferons, which direct the immune system to kill viruses. This is a bit of a head-scratcher. Increasing the body’s inflammation response in the face of stress makes sense. It’s protective in the short term. But why would our bodies become less willing to attack viruses? It’s essentially a biological tradeoff.
The inflammation response is how the body attacks bacteria. And it so happens that the body’s responses to viruses can actually make bacteria thrive. So the body makes a choice and it’s all in the name of protecting against bacteria. Overall, the response to chronic loneliness isn’t different than the response to other sources of chronic stress — like low socioeconomic status or living with post-traumatic stress. “You see the same general molecular pattern across a diverse range of bad human life circumstances”.
Loneliness activates the body’s generic stress response. When we’re stressed, our bodies release the hormones epinephrine and cortisol, and when those are in the blood, they activate the genetic changes mentioned above (through a long chain of action, read more on that here). And, in the long term, that response harms us.
The Cure To Prevent Loneliness
Loneliness can be overcome. It does require a conscious effort on your part to make a change. In the long run, making a change can make you happier, healthier, and enable you to impact others around you in a positive way. Here are some ways to prevent loneliness:
- Consider community service or another activity that you enjoy. These situations present great opportunities to meet people and cultivate new friendships and social interactions.
- Expect the best. Lonely people often expect rejection, so instead focus on positive thoughts and attitudes in your social relationships.
- Focus on developing quality relationships. Seek people who share similar attitudes, interests, and values with you.
- Recognize that loneliness is a sign that something needs to change.
Understand the effects of loneliness on your life. There are physical and mental repercussions for loneliness.
The Cure to Overcome Loneliness
Research on ways to help lonely people has been decidedly mixed, the experts say one of the most effective methods seems to be cognitive behavioral therapy also know as (CBT). They say this therapy can help a lonely individual better understand how his or her assumptions and behavior might be working against the desire to connect with others. CBT usually takes place one-on-one in a professional’s office; however, such a highly professionalized form of help may be impractical when it comes to treating the growing ranks of the lonely. We must soon find other ways to get these lonely people to help themselves by helping others, for I believe this will really help.
What Is Cognitive Behavior Therapy?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a type of therapy where a psychotherapist or therapist uses a structured process to help their clients quickly become aware of negative or inaccurate thinking patterns so they can better cope and respond to them in a more effective manner. One of the benefits of behavior therapy is that it generally requires fewer sessions than other types of therapy.
Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Effective?
Numerous research studies have shown that cognitive-behavioral therapy leads to a notable improvement in how people function and their quality of life. In fact, this type of therapy has proven to be as effective as or more effective than other psychological therapy or psychiatric medications. Researchers have made many advances around cognitive behavior on the basis of research and clinical practice and these new methods have produced meaningful change.
The Principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Besides having a specific structure, APA lists the core principles that form the basis of cognitive-behavioral therapy: Psychological problems are at least partly based on faulty or unhelpful thought patterns. Psychological problems are at least partly based on patterns of unhelpful behaviors that are learned. People that deal with psychological problems can learn better coping strategies that will relieve their symptoms and lead to happier, healthier lives.
The premise behind cognitive behavioral therapy is to get people to change their thinking patterns. During the course of therapy, clinicians work with clients to help them learn to recognize distortions in their thinking that are causing problems in their lives. Once clients can accomplish this, the therapist can help them reevaluate and apply their new thinking patterns to their lives. Cognitive-behavioral therapy utilizes problem-solving skills to help clients better understand their behavior and the motivation behind it and how to implement coping strategies to address difficult situations. The process helps them to increase their confidence in their responses to others.
Some therapies add another component of cognitive-behavioral therapy in treating certain conditions which are helping clients to change their behavioral patterns. Behavioral strategies may assist individuals in how to face their fears rather than avoid them, use role-playing in anticipation of their interactions with others, and learn to relax their bodies and calm their minds.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Emotional Disorders
Emotional challenges often accompany various mental illnesses and life’s challenges as well. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is shown to help individuals improve their ability to manage their emotions because it helps them learn new techniques for how to cope with stressful situations. Therapy sessions can help people improve their relationships and communication, cope with physical illnesses, manage chronic physical symptoms, overcome emotional trauma, and prevent a relapse of mental illness.
The Risks Associated with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
There aren’t any significant risks in pursuing cognitive behavioral therapy. At the same time, if it’s the type of therapy that your clinician feels will be best for you, one may want to be aware that certain sessions may make you feel emotional or even uncomfortable. Try not to worry about that too much. It’s part of the process. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a process that works to help you explore your experiences and emotions, which often include painful feelings. Don’t be surprised if during or after a challenging session you cry, get upset, or feel angry. Sometimes you’ll leave a session feeling mentally and emotionally drained.
These are actually good signs because they validate the fact that you’re able to start releasing these painful emotions which is part of the healing process. This is especially true for a part of cognitive behavior therapy called exposure therapy for people that struggle with fear and anxiety. In this type of therapy, the clinician exposes their client to the things they’re afraid of in small doses. While exposure therapy causes stress or anxiety initially, over time, it helps people overcome their fears by helping them face them. Because these types of issues can be debilitating, it’s important to work with a licensed therapist that will help you make forward progress without causing mental or emotional setbacks.
Some researchers suggest taking naproxen to reduce inflammation or some antidepressants or some type of neuroactive steroids derived from progesterone to help silence the mind. Could the end of loneliness eventually be found at the local drugstore? Loneliness has become increasingly clear to medical professionals that the pain is real and has a 32% increased risk of early death for those living alone, according to a study of 3.4 million people. The consequences of isolation and loneliness are severe and can lead to negative health outcomes, higher health care costs and even death. Loneliness is really based on the discrepancy between what we all really want from our relationships and what we actually have. There is a bridge between the two but this distance can be brought closer with help and recognizing the difference.