Loneliness worse than smoking

The lonely suffer a reduction of a specific functional area of the brain that makes it "insensitive." Who is lonely, or rather, those who 'feel' lonely, becomes insensitive to others. It is no longer capable of that feeling which is called 'Empathy' and that indicate the capacity of understand what another person is trying to irrespective of whether it is more or less nice.

Today psychology is evolving and studying certain behaviors, using sophisticated investigations such as magnetic resonance functional (fRmi, a test that allows assess the activity of the brain). Pioneers in such studies are researchers of the University of Chicago who have used this method to study the relationship between social isolation and brain activity and presented the results of their research to dell'Aaas annual meeting (American Association for Advancement of Science) being held in Chicago.

HOW DAMAGING THE SMOKE - The researchers, led by John Cacioppo, have demonstrated, through fRmi that an area of the brain called ventral striatum nucleus (it is an area that has to do with the "reward" comes into operation when a person receives food or money or social rewards or feelings of test love for others) are less active in single people, compared to who is not, when are shown images of other people happy situations. Like saying that the lonely are more capable of empathy. John Cacioppo is a major scholars in solitude United States and has already demonstrated, through a series of researches, that loneliness is bad for the health at least as it is cigarette smoke.

According to the expert, an American in five is only. So he thought to deepen the study of this condition.

MONEY AND HAPPINESS - The research, presented at Chicago, involved 23 women and, First, 'measured' their level of loneliness. Then recorded, with the resonance Magnetic brain, their brain activity while watching images of two types: the
first for a jam and a human conflict, other things pleasing as money (just like this: the researchers used this parameter) or people happy. Confirmation: women who were classified as sun showed less activity in the area striatal brain, compared to those who however were not considered only when looked at images of people happy.

THE FUTURE - Although loneliness can influence the activity of the brain, the Researchers also speculate that the activity same striatal may seek a sense of loneliness. "This suggests - commented Cacioppo - that loneliness can be born by its reduced activity in the striatum response to stimuli of reward: the striatum that is, become less sensitive to those stimuli that would arouse a sense of gratification. " Another point of view that will detail with other studies and with new tools that are now available of psychology.

Loneliness is fought with nostalgia

What a good memory of those days, evenings with friends, holidays spent in family, the games of childhood with children of neighborhood. But all these memories do not come a little bit sadness? They are not to sigh melancholy at the thought of things lost? It is exactly the contrary. That nostalgia has a sweet taste - bitter has always known, but now psychologists assume that it even has a role corroborant and to help combat the loneliness.

The nostalgia in fact help to improve, in people who feel alone, the perception of its ability to have social relationships and meaningful relationships, reminding them that there was a time when they had them.

The study published in the journal Psychological Science, analyze more than a thousand people to conclude sentimental thoughts that may have a role curative and acting in a virtuous circle. In practice it is the people best equipped ability to "recovery" that when you feel alone, resort to nostalgia as sentiment consolatory and thus exceed the feeling of loneliness. "The nostalgia," ends the Chinese researchers of Yat-sen University and University of British of Southampton, who carried out the study, "is a psychological resource that protects and promotes the
Mental health ".