Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection

Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection

A pioneering neuroscientist reveals the reasons for loneliness and what to do about it.
John T. Cacioppoâ€™s groundbreaking research topples one of the pillars of modern medicine and psychology: the focus on the individual as the unit of inquiry. By employing brain scans, monitoring blood pressure, and analyzing immune function, he demonstrates the overpowering influence of social contextâ€•a factor so strong that it can alter DNA replication. He defines an unrecognized syndromeâ€•chronic lonelinessâ€•brings it out of the shadow of its cousin depression, and shows how this subjective sense of social isolation uniquely disrupts our perceptions, behavior, and physiology, becoming a trap that not only reinforces isolation but can also lead to early death. He gives the lie to the Hobbesian view of human nature as a â€œwar of all against all,â€ and he shows how social cooperation is, in fact, humanityâ€™s defining characteristic. Most important, he shows how we can break the trap of isolation for our benefit both as individuals and as a society.
Country USA
Brand W. W. Norton & Company
Manufacturer W. W. Norton & Company
Binding Hardcover
ReleaseDate 2008-08-17
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780393061703

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