Smoking Addiction or Severe Loneliness? Science Says Their Effects Are the Same

KRISTIN KEITH – Since its unprecedented spread to the United States in early March, the novel coronavirus has resulted in more than 42,000 deaths across the country. It has infected nearly a million Americans and, without sufficient testing, that number could be double or even triple that amount. Despairingly, a scant 71,000 citizens who tested positive for the virus have reported a recovery. New statistics detailing the rapid spread of COVID-19 flood the Internet daily. However, the immeasurable, invisible psychological toll social isolation takes reaches far beyond the recorded physical devastation the disease has wreaked. 

Across the country, Americans have adopted a new way of life: Our homes have become our new workplaces, schools, and restaurants. Our entire lives have suddenly, bizarrely been condensed into a single living space. In an effort to flatten the curve, we have cut off face-to-face communication with many or all of our close friends and relatives. While this unpredictable shift of existence is necessary to curb the spread of COVID-19, many are beginning to feel the psychological costs of distancing themselves from society. Crisis Text Line, a nonprofit organization providing mental health support to those in distress, has seen a 40% increase in the number of people seeking their help through SMS messaging in the last three weeks. Miranda Pollard, a data scientist for the text-based hotline, told Buzzfeed News that many of the messages they’ve received as a result of the pandemic involve anxieties over loneliness, the future of the country, and loss of personal routines. 

Crisis Text Line provided Buzzfeed News with a few distressing sentiments. “I’m having extremely high anxiety. I keep thinking I have the virus. I can’t get it out of my head. I’ve had cold symptoms and I’m worried,” said one text. “Being quarantined is triggering my depression. I live in a household where I don’t feel loved,” said another. “Isolation is getting to me,” one message stated simply. 

What goes on in the brain during social isolation that causes us to become so fearful and anxious? For starters, humans are naturally social animals. We don’t just want social interaction–we need it for our survival. According to a 2015 study done on over 308,000 people by researchers at Brigham Young University, the effects of loneliness are worse than those from smoking, obesity, lack of exercise, and poor nutrition. The researchers found that loneliness from social isolation can increase a person’s death rate by a staggering 30%, with some estimates as high as 60%. Loneliness was found to be the psychological equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day. 

“If we think about loneliness as this adaptive response kind of like hunger or thirst, it’s this unpleasant state that motivates us to seek out social connections just like hunger motivates us to seek out food,” said Julianne Holt-Lunstad, lead researcher of the study and psychology and neuroscience professor at Brigham Young. 

During the pandemic, of course, people are being forced to deny themselves of social contact, an essential remedy to anxiety. As reported by Verywell Mind, social isolation attacks three key mental health factors: autonomy, competency, and connectedness. By being made to stay inside and remove themselves from society, quarantine takes away any sense of control people felt they had over their lives. It’s easy to feel incredibly unconnected from the world as well: without the physical presence of those we care about with us, we’re more likely to feel like we’re missing out on something important. Lack of physical activity due to our new, less mobile lifestyles leads to feelings of restlessness, lethargy, and sadness. Cabin fever is a real thing; many experts believe it should be classified as a syndrome rather than simply as a response to periods of isolation. 

Luckily, there are multiple methods to combat the dismaying mental effects of quarantine. One such method is to exercise: Exercise is a great natural coping mechanism, allowing people to take their mind off current struggles while producing stress-relieving endorphins. Go on a solo walk or, if you can’t leave your house, do an online workout to promote mood-boosting feelings. 

Another tactic is to make a point of calling those you love at least once a day. Jud Brewer, M.D., P.h.D., and associate professor of behavioral and social sciences at Brown University, recommends focusing on communicating with just a few close friends–mindlessly scrolling through social media and superficially commenting on an acquaintance’s post “is not helpful and likely even harmful,” said Brewer. 

A final way to combat sadness or sluggishness is to find a project and dedicate yourself to it (whether you feel you’d love it or not–you might surprise yourself). Work on an intricate, detailed painting. Teach yourself quantum physics. Bake sourdough bread. Read all of Crime and Punishment. View your time in quarantine as a rare opportunity to truly commit yourself to something, because eventually, this will pass. Until then, focus on the new perspective quarantine has given you: One where you appreciate your life and loved ones even more than before. One where, despite its mental hardships, you will ultimately emerge a happier, wiser person.