Loneliness

June 2, 2008
Eleanor Rigby might have been in worse shape than the Beatles imagined: not only lonely but angry, depressed and in ill health. University of Chicago research psychologist Cacioppo shows in studies that loneliness can be harmful to our overall well-being. Loneliness, he says, impairs the ability to feel trust and affection, and people who lack emotional intimacy are less able to exercise good judgment in socially ambiguous situations; this makes them more vulnerable to bullying as children and exploitation by “unscrupulous salespeople” in old age. But Cacioppo and Patrick (editor of the Journal of Life Sciences
) want primarily to apply evolutionary psychology to explain how our brains have become hard-wired to have regular contact with others to aid survival. So intense is the need to connect, say the authors, that isolated individuals sometimes form “parasocial relations” with pets or TV characters. The authors’ advice for dealing with loneliness—psychotherapy, positive thinking, random acts of kindness—are overly general, but this isn’t a self-help book. It does present a solid scientific look at the physical and emotional impact of loneliness. 12 illus.

December 15, 2008
Neuroscientist Cacioppo (psychology, Univ. of Chicago) and science writer Patrick present a solid scientific analysis of the physical and emotional impact of loneliness on the human body, looking to variations in brain scans, blood pressure, and immune function to demonstrate the overpowering influence and broader social context of this factor they find strong enough to alter DNA replication. Three-time Audie® Award winner Dick Hill's (www.dickhill.com) impressive, steady narration helps maintain interest in this esoteric, highly specialized, research-based text, which may appeal more to established and student psychiatrists and psychologists than to the lay reader. Recommended mainly for university libraries supporting these fields. [Audio clip available through www.tantor.com.Ed.]Dale Farris, Groves, TX

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