Homeostatic Regulation of Energetic Arousal During Acute Social Isolation: Evidence From the Lab and the Field.
Psychol Sci
; 34(5): 537-551, 2023 05.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2282619
ABSTRACT
Recent evidence suggests that social contact is a basic need governed by a social homeostatic system. Little is known, however, about how conditions of altered social homeostasis affect human psychology and physiology. Here, we investigated the effects of 8 hr of social isolation on psychological and physiological variables and compared this with 8 hr of food deprivation in a lab experiment (N = 30 adult women). Social isolation led to lowered self-reported energetic arousal and heightened fatigue, comparable with food deprivation. To test whether these findings would extend to a real-life setting, we conducted a preregistered field study during a COVID-19 lockdown (N = 87 adults; 47 women). The drop in energetic arousal after social isolation observed in the lab replicated in the field study for participants who lived alone or reported high sociability, suggesting that lowered energy could be part of a homeostatic response to the lack of social contact.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Psychol Sci
Journal subject:
Psychology
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
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