There is a buzz from being in large groups at public events. The social brain hypothesis states that the human brain evolved to support social interaction. Studies show that belonging to a group can lead to better health.
A lot of people are lonely. We should expect the evolution of the human brain to affect it a lot.
A recent study shows that social isolation is linked to changes in brain structure and cognitive decline in older adults.
The social brain hypothesis is supported by a lot of evidence. The brain regions associated with social interaction were mapped.
The default mode network, which is active when we are not focused on the outside world, is linked to brain regions that are involved in diverse social interactions.
We wanted to know more about how social isolation affects grey matter. We looked at data from half a million people with a mean age of 57.
If they were living alone, people were classified as socially isolated if they had less social contact than monthly.
More than 30,000 people were included in our study. It was shown that people who were socially isolated had less grey matter in their brains.
The temporal region, the frontal lobes, and the hippocampus are involved in learning and memory and are disrupted early in Alzheimer's disease.
There is a link between the lower grey matter volumes and Alzheimer's disease.
Twelve years later there were follow-ups. It was found that those who were socially isolated, but not lonely, had a higher risk of dementia.
In future studies, the exact mechanisms behind social isolation need to be determined. If you are isolated, you might be suffering from chronic stress. Your brain and physical health are affected by this.
Some brain areas lose function if we don't use them. Taxi drivers who memorize routes and addresses have more volume in their hippocampus. If we don't engage in social discussion frequently, our use of language and other cognitive processes could diminish.
It's possible that this will affect our ability to do a lot of complex cognitive tasks.
Keeping your brain active can help build a strong set of thinking abilities throughout life. Learning new things is a good way to do this.
Cognitive reserve has been shown to help with the aging process. It can be used to protect against a number of illnesses and mental health disorders.
A good diet and exercise can improve your wellbeing. There are a few pharmacological treatments for Alzheimer's disease, but they need to be improved and there needs to be less side effects.
There is hope that in the future there will be better treatments for older people. One avenue of inquiry is the use of exogenous ketones, which is an alternative energy source.
Our study shows that tackling social isolation can help older people. The health authorities should do more to help people who are isolated.
Technology can be used when people are not in a position to interact. Younger generations are familiar with using technology to communicate. Training may help reduce social isolation in older adults.
Social interaction is crucial. There is a correlation between the size of our social group and the volume of our brain's cortex.
How many people do we need? "Dunbar's number" is often used to describe the size of social groups, as it shows that we are not able to maintain more than 150 relationships.
There are some reports that suggest a lack of empirical evidence regarding the optimal size of social groups.
It's hard to argue against the fact that humans are social animals and enjoy connecting with other people. It's important for the health of our cognitive system.
Christelle Langley is a research associate at the University of Cambridge and is one of the professors.
Under a Creative Commons license, this article is re-posted. The original article is worth a read.
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