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I've spent the majority of my life in social isolation, mainly because I keep forgetting to maintain relationships. I'd drop off the radar for months on end, un

I've spent the majority of my life in social isolation, mainly because I keep forgetting to maintain relationships. I'd drop off the radar for months on end, until a concerned friend or family member would manage to get in contact with me (I don't use social media because it's too much bother to maintain). In 2001, after the dotcom crash, I took a yearlong sabbatical where I saw no one, spoke to no one, and by the time I was pulled into the open again it hurt to speak. TBH until I met my wife, I never thought it possible to be comfortable living with someone. I know I'm an extreme exception, but I'm one of those people who don't feel a craving for human contact.

anonytrary 6y ago
That's not forced; that's your choice. I'm someone who also naturally ends up being alone, however, being forced to be alone is a completely different situation. The power of choice is everything and it seems essential to this study.
- kstenerud 6y ago
  That conclusion of the study is highly suspect. "To address this challenge, the researchers had 40 socially-connected healthy human adults spend 10 hours (9am to 7pm) alone, with no social interaction and no other social stimulation (e.g., twitter, email, reading fiction)." The subjects chose to spend 10 hours away from all social interaction in order to participate in the study. That's not the same as being forced. However, the results were striking. Just like choosing to fast from food, choosing to fast from social interaction caused similar cravings in the subjects.