Does Being Lonely Impact Social Interactions?

NPR

Published September 22, 2015 at 1:45 PM EDT

A man walks along the edge of concrete blocks. (castgen/Flickr)

Researchers at the University of Chicago have found that when you’re lonely, your brain may actually operate differently.

The researchers found that when lonely people are exposed to negative social cues of some kind, the electrical activity in their brains is more extreme. Meaning lonely people are subconsciously guarding against social threats, which could lead them to be even more isolated — and more lonely.

Here & Now host Peter O’Dowd speaks with Derek Thompson, senior editor with The Atlantic, on this research.

Guest

Derek Thompson, senior editor with The Atlantic. He tweets @DKThomp.

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