For now, and into the foreseeable future, social distancing is the most effective means of protecting oneself from COVID-19 infection. While this is what all public health officials recommend, we do not fully understand the long-term impact of this policy on our mental health.
Many mental health experts, including Dr. Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and MGH, are especially concerned about the impact of social distancing on loneliness. While social distancing does not have to mean emotional distancing, It dramatically shifts the way we connect with one another. One in four Americans lives alone, and Dr. Wadinger is especially concerned that those who live alone may suffer disproportionately. He notes that being alone can lead to a kind of emotional inertia, where it may take a tremendous amount of effort to reach out to others. On the other hand, when everybody is the same boat, people are making a greater effort to connect (and re-connect) with others and have more time to do so.
Nonetheless, this new way of living may lead to loneliness for many. Although lloneliness is not considered a psychiatric disorder per se, it is a risk factor for depression, suicide, and substance abuse. Loneliness can also affect one’s physical health, contributing to higher risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Much of what we know about the impact of social isolation and loneliness comes from the Harvard Study of Adult Development, a project which was initiated in 1938 during the Great Depression when 268 sophomore men from Harvard were recruited into a longitudinal study with the goal of finding out what contributes to healthy and happy lives. Over the years, Dr. Waldinger, the director of the program, and his colleagues have expanded to include a more diverse and larger cohort of men and women.
When we think of what contributes to good health, we are likely to consider genetic factors, diet, and exercise as the primary drivers of health; however, Dr. Waldinger;s research clearly demonstrates that one of the most important determinants of good health and happiness is having strong social relationships.
And this is why we are so concerned about the impact of the COVID epidemic on mental health, especially for those who live alone. Human connection helps us deal with the tough times, and this is a time when we have to work to stay connected.
Social distance makes the heart grow lonelier (The Harvard Gazette)
Robert Waldinger: What Makes A Good Life (TED Talk)
Dr. Robert Waldinger is director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and MGH. Dr. Waldinger is now beginning a study of the more than 2000 children of the men in the original Harvard cohort to examine how childhood experiences affect midlife health and wellbeing.
