For example, Dr. Livia Tomova from the University of Cardiff published a recent study that uncovers alarming trends in adolescent loneliness. This deadly mistake has doubled globally in the past ten years. The study looks specifically at young people, those 16 to 19 years of age. It demonstrates the extent to which teenagers are affected by relatively short stints alone, and indicates that they tend to pursue incentives to lift their mood following a few minutes without social contact.
Our pilot study of 40 participants recruited in Cambridge. Each one was socially well-connected, with no prior history of mental illness. In the course of studying these teens, researchers invited them to spend some quality time alone for 24 hours on two different occasions. At one point, they had the sense that they were totally cut off. The next time, they might be able to link up virtually through their mobile devices or laptop computers.
This sensitivity like makes or breaks their behavior by a long shot. These findings reveal how young people are deeply intentional to feel better after only a few hours alone, even if it’s not ideal. Underneath this seemingly risky behavior lays a key driver of adolescent psychology.
“Our study demonstrates just how sensitive young people are to very short periods of isolation.”
Prof. Sarah-Jayne Blakemore from the University of Cambridge’s psychology department contributed insights into the complexity of social media’s role in adolescent loneliness. She elaborated, detailing how social media is actually “increasing loneliness” for some teens. The relationship between the two is far from clear cut.
She explained how limiting in-person interactions during isolation to only virtual ones particularly affects adolescents. These experiences appear to increase their motivation to pursue external rewards.
“Social media can lead to loneliness in some adolescents, but our study suggests that this relationship is complex,” said Prof. Blakemore.
This study offers valuable insight into the urgent problem of loneliness among adolescents and its associations with mental health. These results call greater attention to the value of social interaction. Even virtual connections can make a huge difference in young people’s ability to combat the debilitating loneliness that so many of them feel.
“Virtual interaction with others seems to make isolated teens less driven to seek external rewards compared with when they are isolated without access to social media,” she remarked.
This research sheds light on the pressing issue of adolescent loneliness and its implications for mental health. The findings suggest that encouraging social interaction, even in a virtual format, could play an essential role in helping young people navigate feelings of isolation.
