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What's worse: Hunger or loneliness?


If I asked you which would be easier to tolerate -- hunger or loneliness -- what would you say?

Hopefully, none of you have ever suffered through a prolonged lack of food or social intimacy -- both terrible circumstances far too many people are grappling with in this pandemic. 

But on the question of which is more corrosive to our mental health, studies suggest they're two sides of the same coin: People who are forced to be isolated crave social interactions similarly to the manner a famished individual longs for food. 

After one day of total isolation, the sight of people having fun together activates the same brain region that lights up when someone who hasn't eaten all day sees a picture of a bowl of scrumptious spaghetti.

This bolsters the argument that positive social interactions aren't simply good-to-haves, but a basic human need. And acute loneliness, for its part, is an adverse state that drives people to repair what is lacking, much like hunger. 

In both cases, the neurons in the midbrain's substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area flared up in response to the images. The midbrain is known as the "motivation center," and it produces dopamine, a chemical associated with reward.

There's no question that some people have a deeper need for social contact than others. Introverts draw their energy inward, becoming drained by large crowds and heavy chatter. 

Still, even they can begin to feel despondent and isolated if contact with friends and family is choked off for an extended period of time. Human beings are, after all, social creatures -- introverts or not. 

I can't imagine what hospital and nursing home patients who aren't allowed to see their loved ones because of coronavirus are going through.  

To those of you who feeling hopeless right now -- whether because of financial hardship, health concerns, social isolation, or all of the above -- I hear you. These are unprecedented times. 

But rest assured that, sooner or later, we will turn the page on this dark chapter in our lives. A sense of normalcy won't elude us forever. 

In order to tackle the economic crisis, we have to deal with the public health crisis first. Once the vaccine is made available to the masses, people will feel more comfortable venturing out to stores and restaurants again, which will provide a much-needed jolt to the economy. 

It won't happen tomorrow, next week, or even next month. But we will get through this. 2020 has been an anomaly thanks to COVID-19, the likes of which we hadn't seen in over 100 years. 

Better times lie ahead. But we must pull together and never lose our faith -- in our institutions, in each other, in ourselves. 

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