A heavy feeling on the chest. A throat that’s leaden. An overwhelming feeling of isolation. Loneliness hurts—and, over time, it can put the body into a state that increases our risk of everything from heart attack and stroke to diabetes and cancer. So, evolutionarily speaking, why do we experience it?
Stephanie Cacioppo, a neuroscientist at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, says that countless studies have helped researchers formulate a holistic(全面的)purpose for loneliness. “Our social structures evolved hand in hand with neural, hormonal and genetic mechanisms to support these social structures—like couples, tribes and communities—that help us survive and reproduce,” says Cacioppo. Because while loneliness may be painful to experience today, for our prehistoric ancestors that pain would have been a far better alternative to being caught alone with a predator on the prowl(潜行).
Being social had its downsides even back then—competition for food, for example, or contribution to the spread of pathogens(病原体). But scientists think we evolved to feel loneliness because it was more important to work with one another to accomplish tasks and to protect everyone. “The pain of loneliness prompted us to renew the social structure so we could survive and promote key features like trust, cooperation and collective action, explains Cacioppo.
For years, researchers thought of loneliness as a disease. But now, they’re realizing that it’s more of a biological hunger signal that reminds us when it’s time to reconnect with those around us to promote our short-term survival. If the outcomes of loneliness were entirely negative, it would no longer be a part of our DNA. “Hunger and thirst protect our physical body while loneliness protects our social body,” says Cacioppo.
Loneliness impacts us all differently. Some of us may find certain situations lonely even while others don’t. There’s also a genetic component: Some of us are born to feel lonelier than others. Other factors play a role, too. The way we were treated as children can also inform how lonely we feel as adults. Lonely people spend most of their time deep within their own imaginations; they may conceptualize social encounters so much, in fact, that this part of their brain is in overdrive. That means even though they may be desperate to form connections, when they’re around other people, they’re actually less likely to be present.
【小题1】As for loneliness, which would the author agree with?| A．It can lead to serious mental problems in adulthood. |
| B．It holds potential risks and disadvantages to individuals. |
| C．It may reflect a person’s strong desire to have social bonds. |
| D．It is perceived in the same way as it is demonstrated by our DNA. |
| A．beneficial but risky | B．painful but necessary |
| C．natural and powerful | D．personal and harmful |
| A．Humans evolved to be lonely. | B．Loneliness is a curable disease. |
| C．Loneliness is a personal feeling. | D．Humans need to address loneliness. |
