City Research Online

Abstract

‘Loneliness’ refers to the perceived social isolation triggered by unsatisfying relationships. Most research and interventions have framed it as an individual problem rather than a broader social issue rooted in the (infra)structures of our societies. Here, we synthesize the neurocomputational evidence on the cognitive processes underpinning loneliness and the psychological and behavioral effects of the social environment and, in particular, community identification on feelings of loneliness. We propose that community-based interventions might effectively tackle loneliness by creating the preconditions that can prevent the emergence and reinforcement of the cognitive biases that foster maladaptive behavioral and reasoning patterns in lonely individuals. Finally, we discuss how future work can better design and tailor social interventions to reduce loneliness and improve mental health in general.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons CC-BY license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Publisher Keywords:	loneliness, psychological well-being, social cognition, neurocomputational mechanisms, community-based approach
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Departments:	School of Health & Medical Sciences School of Health & Medical Sciences > Department of Psychology & Neuroscience
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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