Loneliness Drives Teens to Seek Rewards

Summary: A new study reveals that adolescents are highly sensitive to even brief periods of social isolation, showing a sharp increase in motivation to seek rewards after just a few…

Music Sparks Social Imagination and Eases Loneliness

Summary: A large-scale study with 600 participants shows that music can genuinely evoke feelings of companionship by sparking social imagination. When participants listened to folk music, they imagined vivid social…

Nostalgic foods and scents like fresh-cut grass and hamburgers grilling bring comfort, connection and well-being

Walking around my neighborhood in the evening, I am hit by the smells of summer: fresh-cut grass, hamburgers grilling and a hint of swimming pool chlorine. These are also the…

Chronic stress contributes to cognitive decline and dementia risk – 2 healthy-aging experts explain what you can do about it

The probability of any American having dementia in their lifetime may be far greater than previously thought. For instance, a 2025 study that tracked a large sample of American adults…

Depression May Signal Chronic Pain Years Before It Starts

Summary: Middle-aged and older adults who experience chronic pain often show worsening symptoms of depression up to eight years before the pain begins. A large-scale study found that depressive symptoms…

Being alone has its benefits − a psychologist flips the script on the ‘loneliness epidemic’

Over the past few years, experts have been sounding the alarm over how much time Americans spend alone. Statistics show that we’re choosing to be solitary for more of our…

Social Connections Key to Borderline Personality Disorder Therapy

Summary: Loneliness plays a central role in borderline personality disorder (BPD) and often persists even when clinical symptoms subside. Current treatments, such as dialectical behavior therapy, fail to fully address…

Men are carrying the brunt of the ‘loneliness epidemic’ amid potent societal pressures

A few weeks before Justin Bieber and his wife, Hailey, announced in May 2024 that they were expecting, the pop icon posted a selfie where he appears tearful and distraught.…

Loneliness Linked to Nightmares – Neuroscience News

Summary: Research reveals that loneliness is linked to an increased frequency and intensity of nightmares, highlighting the connection between social isolation and sleep disturbances. The study suggests that stress, rumination,…

Loneliness Worse for Memory Than Social Isolation

Summary: A new study finds that loneliness impacts memory more negatively than social isolation among older adults. Those who are both socially isolated and lonely experience the greatest memory decline,…