All people have a need for intellectual, emotional, and physical stimulation (Krcmar & Greene, 1999; Rubin, Perse, & Powell, 1985). Nobody enjoys being bored! So we seek out diversions like television or music. Interactions with others frequently provide multiple types of stimulation at once, which can contribute to our relational satisfaction (Guerrero, Farinelli, & McEwan, 2009).

Consider some of the communication relationships you have formed with various people that provide stimulation over the course of a day. You might go for coffee with that classmate who really makes you laugh. You stop your professor in the hallway to share an interesting story related to your class. You check up on Facebook and decide to “hide” updates from that person who always irritates you. And then you meet up with your significant other, who greets you with a warm hug after a long day. It’s also possible, of course, for you to find multiple forms of stimulation in one person.

The innate need for stimulation is what causes many people to feel uncomfortable about solitary confinement. Senator John McCain, recalling the more than five years he spent as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, noted: “As far as this business of solitary confinement goes—the most important thing for survival is communication with someone, even if it’s only a wave or a wink, a tap on the wall, or to have a guy put his thumb up. It makes all the difference” (McCain, 2008).