Social Relationships and Health: The Toxic effects of Perceived Social Isolation

This paper reviews selected evidence on the nature of social relationships and focuses on one particular facet of the connection continuum – the extent to which an individual feels isolated (i.e., feels lonely) in a social world. Evidence indicates that loneliness heightens sensitivity to social threats and motivates the renewal of social connections, but it can also impair executive functioning, sleep, and mental and physical well-being