An Experiment to “Induce” Loneliness
The research team wanted to replicate in humans some effects already observed in animals, where prolonged isolation led to greater anxiety and fear reactions. To do so, they created a controlled context: the participants were isolated for about four hours in a room, once without any electronic devices and a second time with smartphones and internet access. Before and after each session, they were subjected to tests to measure their response to threats and their level of stress.
One of the key tests used was the “Pavlovian threat task,” in which participants looked at a series of shapes on a screen. One of these shapes was paired with a loud, annoying noise, eliciting an special lead anticipatory apprehension response. The subjects’ physiological reaction was monitored using electrodes that measured electrodermal activity, an indicator of stress.
The results were surprising. Even though the teens had access to social media in one of the sessions, their response to threats did not decrease significantly. After both isolation sessions, participants showed increased reactivity to the threat cue, up 70 percent from baseline levels. This effect was present even though, on average, teens felt less lonely when they could use their phones than when they were in complete isolation.
According to Emily Towner, lead author of the study, “although virtual social interactions helped participants feel less lonely, their response to threats remained elevated.” This suggests that while smartphones may temporarily alleviate feelings of isolation, they cannot counteract the deeper, physiological effects that isolation itself causes.