How Do Changes in Social Interaction Affect Our Health?

General Health Links

Some general health links to social interaction include positive relationships between social connection and lifespan and stronger immune systems, and studies have shown that those with higher interaction in their community have slower rates of memory decline. Our brain health is affected by it too, and it is proven that seniors who were highly social had a 70% lower rate of cognitive decline (indicating increased risk of dementia) than their less social peers.

Cognitive effects of Social Isolation

When people are subjected to isolation during experiments, the most common reports include confusion, changes in personality, and episodes of anxiety and depression. More experimental evidence on acute social isolation shows that it results in increased feelings of loneliness, craving for social contact, and decreased happiness. 

In terms of longer isolation periods, many other studies have found that chronic social isolation often precedes cognitive decline. However in these studies, carried out by the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, the results don't necessarily demonstrate that isolation causes deterioration in brain function as cognitive decline could encourage some people to socialise less.

Some extreme forms of isolation like solitary confinement in prisons leads to increased distress, depression, aggression and more self-harming behaviour in adults. The effect is amplified in young adults: the study showed that being younger than 19 and being in solitary confinement were the two strongest predictors of self harm in prisoners.