SI and isolation (my experience)

[unluckysadness]

So, I posted a lot of messages talking about my social isolation. Here is my feeling with SI : I think that being isolated helps to lower SI. That said, isolation is not good at all for mental health, so I don't recommend it if you don't plan to ctb soon. If you live in a family or with a partner, I think it's still better than being isolated, even if you have troubles with these people (I live alone without workplace, partner or friends) - I don't go outside because of social phobia and other problems). Social interaction is very important. But that's just my experience.

I wanted to ask AI and here is what it says :

A Real Decline in the Survival Instinct

Studies show that prolonged isolation causes measurable changes that affect mechanisms associated with the survival instinct (such as the motivation to protect oneself, seek resources, or maintain well-being):

1. Neurobiological Alterations:
   • A 2016 review in Nature Reviews Neuroscience explains that chronic social isolation reduces the activity of the dopaminergic system, which drives survival-oriented behaviors (such as seeking food, relationships, or avoiding dangers). This decline is measurable through reduced dopamine levels in regions like the striatum, leading to an objective decrease in motivation to act for survival. Thus, it is not merely a feeling: the brain becomes less responsive to stimuli that typically prompt "fighting to survive."
   • Chronic isolation also increases cortisol levels (the stress hormone), which disrupts the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This leads to physiological fatigue that reduces the energy available for proactive behaviors, such as self-care or responding to threats.
2. Withdrawal Behaviors:
   • A 2015 study (Cacioppo et al., Perspectives on Psychological Science) describes a "conservation-withdrawal" state in chronically isolated individuals. This state, measured by markers such as low heart rate variability (an indicator of emotional resilience), shows that the body and brain shift into an "energy-saving" mode, reducing efforts to engage in survival actions. This short-term adaptive mechanism becomes detrimental in the long term, genuinely diminishing the capacity to respond to vital challenges.
   • For example, experiments on social animals (rodents, primates) show that prolonged isolation reduces exploration and self-preservation behaviors, such as foraging for food or avoiding predators, which is quantifiable through behavioral tests.
3. Impact on the "Will to Live":
   • A 2020 study in The Lancet Psychiatry links chronic isolation to an increase in suicidal ideation and a decrease in the "reason for living," measured by psychological scales like the Reasons for Living Inventory. This decline is not just a feeling: it is correlated with alterations in the prefrontal cortex, which regulates decision-making and motivation to persevere in the face of challenges. This suggests an objective reduction in the drive to maintain survival.

 

[Hollowman]

That pretty much explains my situation.

 

[MyShadow]

I've experienced extended social isolation very recently and it was the most difficult and painful experience of my life.

 

[Suizid]

I had to move in with my mom again because living alone destroyed me. We have a shity relationship and secretly hate eachother but everything is better than living alone right now. We are ment to feel connected to a tribe or atleast a small group. We can't survive alone. Sometimes when i've been alone for weeks i get more and more depressed, but as soon as i am talking to someone for a long period of time it feels like magic. All of a sudden i feel balanced and healthy. I feel like "okay, i feel normal now. I can do this life shit" but as i am alone again it's getting Bad again. It has to be a special Person with whom i feel safe. Most people just drain my energy even more. It rly sucks that mental health issues makes us isolate, even tho we need connection more than ever. We cant heal on our own.

 

[kitkat9234]

I'm extremely isolated yet have really bad SI.

 

[traingirl]

I've been extremely isolated for a month now besides my dad and then when I tried to get out and interact it went horribly, so back to isolation I go.

 

[katara]

I had to move in with my mom again because living alone destroyed me. We have a shity relationship and secretly hate eachother but everything is better than living alone right now. We are ment to feel connected to a tribe or atleast a small group. We can't survive alone. Sometimes when i've been alone for weeks i get more and more depressed, but as soon as i am talking to someone for a long period of time it feels like magic. All of a sudden i feel balanced and healthy. I feel like "okay, i feel normal now. I can do this life shit" but as i am alone again it's getting Bad again. It has to be a special Person with whom i feel safe. Most people just drain my energy even more. It rly sucks that mental health issues makes us isolate, even tho we need connection more than ever. We cant heal on our own.

This is mostly accurate but for someone like me who has no irl friends and never interacts with ppl irl besides my mom who doesn't want to help me… sometimes I feel like I'd be better just being homeless and looking for a companion under a bridge bc I can't keep living this way. Everyday I realize I've lost in life and things don't get better when u have no support.

 

[Suizid]

This is mostly accurate but for someone like me who has no irl friends and never interacts with ppl irl besides my mom who doesn't want to help me… sometimes I feel like I'd be better just being homeless and looking for a companion under a bridge bc I can't keep living this way. Everyday I realize I've lost in life and things don't get better when u have no support.

I dont have friends either. I only talk to one coworker once a month. I thought about that too. But i'd probably be isolated no matter the circumstance. Homeless or rich

 

[stardewwindceres]

So, I posted a lot of messages talking about my social isolation. Here is my feeling with SI : I think that being isolated helps to lower SI. That said, isolation is not good at all for mental health, so I don't recommend it if you don't plan to ctb soon. If you live in a family or with a partner, I think it's still better than being isolated, even if you have troubles with these people (I live alone without workplace, partner or friends) - I don't go outside because of social phobia and other problems). Social interaction is very important. But that's just my experience.

I wanted to ask AI and here is what it says :

A Real Decline in the Survival Instinct

Studies show that prolonged isolation causes measurable changes that affect mechanisms associated with the survival instinct (such as the motivation to protect oneself, seek resources, or maintain well-being):

1. Neurobiological Alterations:
   • A 2016 review in Nature Reviews Neuroscience explains that chronic social isolation reduces the activity of the dopaminergic system, which drives survival-oriented Wbehaviors (such as seeking food, relationships, or avoiding dangers). This decline is measurable through reduced dopamine levels in regions like the striatum, leading to an objective decrease in motivation to act for survival. Thus, it is not merely a feeling: the brain becomes less responsive to stimuli that typically prompt "fighting to survive."
   • Chronic isolation also increases cortisol levels (the stress hormone), which disrupts the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This leads to physiological fatigue that reduces the energy available for proactive behaviors, such as self-care or responding to threats.
2. Withdrawal Behaviors:
   • A 2015 study (Cacioppo et al., Perspectives on Psychological Science) describes a "conservation-withdrawal" state in chronically isolated individuals. This state, measured by markers such as low heart rate variability (an indicator of emotional resilience), shows that the body and brain shift into an "energy-saving" mode, reducing efforts to engage in survival actions. This short-term adaptive mechanism becomes detrimental in the long term, genuinely diminishing the capacity to respond to vital challenges.
   • For example, experiments on social animals (rodents, primates) show that prolonged isolation reduces exploration and self-preservation behaviors, such as foraging for food or avoiding predators, which is quantifiable through behavioral tests.
3. Impact on the "Will to Live":
   • A 2020 study in The Lancet Psychiatry links chronic isolation to an increase in suicidal ideation and a decrease in the "reason for living," measured by psychological scales like the Reasons for Living Inventory. This decline is not just a feeling: it is correlated with alterations in the prefrontal cortex, which regulates decision-making and motivation to persevere in the face of challenges. This suggests an objective reduction in the drive to maintain survival.

Wow, this really explains A LOT. Thank you so much for posting this! I guess it should be obvious that social isolation causes actual biological changes in a species of animal that is wired for social behavior in order to survive. I just never really have thought about what exactly those changes are, I guess. Anyway, thanks again!!

 

[katara]

I dont have friends either. I only talk to one coworker once a month. I thought about that too. But i'd probably be isolated no matter the circumstance. Homeless or rich

Same with me, that's why money wouldn't change much about my situation. I'd still be alone and have to take care of everything myself and I just don't want to anymore. It feels pointless