The Science of “Social Atrophy” and what Isolation Does to the Brain
In this short online talk with a Q&A, Dr. Sarah Stein Lubrano will present the most recent research on how the brain responds to social isolation, and consider what sharp increases in isolation over the last few decades might mean for society. She will set out the results of many studies, as well as interviews she conducted with relevant scientists, to illuminate about what really happens when people spend more hours alone. We'll look at the weird and the worrying, from how people grow more imaginative to why they might stop texting you back. Together we’ll explore:
why isolated people get suspicious of their friends, family, and neighbors-but warmer towards their pets!
why isolation often doesn’t lead to loneliness and why that’s deeply troubling
why AI could make things worse, and even make isolated people delusional
how isolation might be fueling societal distrust, brain by brain and neighborhood by neighborhood
some ideas about what we (all) can do
Come for the science, stay for the social theory.
**a recording will be available for those unable to attend live**
Dr Sarah Stein Lubrano has a background in feminist activism, mutual aid, and other local organising as well as teaching in prisons. She holds a PhD from the University of Oxford and a Master’s degree from the University of Cambridge. She was previously the Head of Content at The School of Life and wrote obituaries. Her first book, Don’t Talk About Politics: Changing 21st Century Minds, is out now. That book and her forthcoming book delve into social atrophy, the shrinking and changing of the brain due to social isolation - and the societal problems that cause this.