Researchers have found that isolation, even for a brief time, can have powerful negative effects on mood and self-esteem. People who have been excluded from a group are more likely:
to report high levels of stress and anxiety.
to believe that their work—and even their very existence—is meaningless.
to feel depressed, deflated, and lonely.
Most societies have recognized the power of social isolation, and have used it as a punishment to control unwanted behavior. Prisons that are not allowed to use the physical pain of torture as a punishment often resort to “solitary confinement” as a way of creating psychological pain.
Interestingly, recent research has shown that the two types of pain activate the same areas of the brain, and even respond to the same pain-relieving medication! Both types of pain have side effects for other people, because people who are hurting are more likely to engage in aggression and violence to inflict pain on others.
