Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Mar 21:13:861329.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.861329. eCollection 2022.

The Impact of Physical Distancing in the Pandemic Situation: Considering the Role of Loneliness and Social Brain

Rosalba Morese  1   2 , Claudio Longobardi  3
Affiliations
Review

The Impact of Physical Distancing in the Pandemic Situation: Considering the Role of Loneliness and Social Brain

Rosalba Morese et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

The new normal has made social distancing a new way of experiencing sociality. Social neuroscience has for a long time been concerned with studying the beneficial effects of social relationships, of physical contact. It is known that physical contact activates neurophysiological processes that reduce the perception of discomfort and even physical pain. So in the absence of physical contact, our social brain may be modulated differently when we are with others. But what could be the long-term effects of this normality? This mini-review focuses on highlighting with the support of social neuroscience evidence such as isolation, distancing can affect people's health.

Keywords: isolation; loneliness; physical contact; physical distancing; social inclusion; social neuroscience.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

References

    1. Armitage R., Nellums L. B. (2020). COVID-19 and the consequences of isolating the elderly. Lancet Public Health 5:e256. 10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30061-X - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bozzatello P., Morese R., Valentini M. C., Rocca P., Bosco F., Bellino S. (2019). Autobiographical memories, identity disturbance and brain functioning in patients with borderline personality disorder: an fMRI study. Heliyon 5:e01323. 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01323 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cacioppo J. T., Cacioppo S., Boomsma D. I. (2014). Evolutionary mechanisms for loneliness. Cogn. Emot. 28 3–21. 10.1080/02699931.2013.837379 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cipolletta S., Entilli L., Bettio F., De Leo D. (2022). Live-chat support for people bereaved by suicide. Crisis 43 98–104. 10.1027/0227-5910/a000759 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cipolletta S., Gris F. (2021). Older people’s lived perspectives of social isolation during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 18:11832. 10.3390/ijerph182211832 - DOI - PMC - PubMed