Psychology

Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection

Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-12 10:08:53
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：John T. Cacioppo
  • ISBN：0393335283
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Summary

“One of the most important books about the human condition to appear in a decade。”—Daniel Gilbert， author of Stumbling on Happiness

"Based on Jon T。 Cacioppo's pioneering research， Loneliness explores the surprising effects of this all-too-human experience， providing a fundamentally new view of the importance of social connection and how it can rescue us from painful isolation。 His studies relying on brain imaging， analysis of blood pressure， immune response， stress hormones， behavior， and even gene expression show that human beings are simply far more intertwined and interdependent - physiologically as well as psychologically - than our cultural assumptions have ever allowed us to acknowledge。" Cacioppo's findings also show that prolonged loneliness can be as harmful to your health as smoking or obesity。 On the flip side， they demonstrate the therapeutic power of social connection and point the way toward making that healing balm available to everyone。

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Reviews

Joseph L。 ，

Watch a detailed review along with my favorite ideas and takeaways at:https://youtu。be/rxvUUzP02yw Watch a detailed review along with my favorite ideas and takeaways at:https://youtu。be/rxvUUzP02yw 。。。more

Auni B ，

I started reading this book because I was working on my final year project regarding loneliness。 It provided a nice basis to allow me to view loneliness in a more structured manner。 It is laden with psychological terms that probably could be a bit heavy towards readers with no background in psychology。

Calla ，

Occasionally platitudinous， but offers an accessible look into the neuroscience of social connection and its centrality to human needs。 The main thesis focuses on how the human brain evolved to form more specialized community with other humans。 I particularly liked how the last chapter highlights the influence of American capitalism， individualism and suburbia in the destruction of close-knit community and its implications for global health。

Jasmine ，

“Here are two important ideas that are valuable for you to know， and now let me say this over and over in fourteen chapters。” Not actual quotes， but the authors might as well have made them。 Read （and stuck through） this hoping to get some helpful information for therapy， but by the time it came at the very end of the final chapter I was already frustrated enough to just want to get it over with。

Sara Moesgaard ，

3，5The reason for the low rating is that I find the book to be unnecessarily long - especially if you have previously read pop-psychology books about social connection。 The authors spend a lot of time making metaphors and analogies that for me mostly seems distracting。 It doesn't really feel like they know what they want to say with each passage。A lot of interesting science is presented， like the loss of exceutive function when loneliness is experienced， and how loneliness affects how social int 3，5The reason for the low rating is that I find the book to be unnecessarily long - especially if you have previously read pop-psychology books about social connection。 The authors spend a lot of time making metaphors and analogies that for me mostly seems distracting。 It doesn't really feel like they know what they want to say with each passage。A lot of interesting science is presented， like the loss of exceutive function when loneliness is experienced， and how loneliness affects how social interactions are perceived， however， I do feel that a lot of these points could be made in half the space or less。 That makes it hard to keep focus on the book， and I didn't feel like I gained any grand revelations as I hoped。If you feel lonely and want to figure out how that affects your perception and behaviour， and haven't read too much psychology books yet， this book might still be for you and help you gain insight into yourself and the foundation that makes us human。 。。。more

Mehrzad M。 ，

"informative"， yes， this is the most descriptive adjective for this book。Even though the publication date of the book goes back to 2008 and obviously there's no notion of social media， most of the ideas and experiments mentioned in the book were new to me。The best takeaway from the book would be the acknowledgment of various layers to loneliness and its correlation with depression， different inputs whether controllable or not， and how to differentiate the type of loneliness we feel， which eventu "informative"， yes， this is the most descriptive adjective for this book。Even though the publication date of the book goes back to 2008 and obviously there's no notion of social media， most of the ideas and experiments mentioned in the book were new to me。The best takeaway from the book would be the acknowledgment of various layers to loneliness and its correlation with depression， different inputs whether controllable or not， and how to differentiate the type of loneliness we feel， which eventually helps to be more cognizant of the ways on how to deal with it。// 。。。more

Sleeping bear ，

เหงา เป็นความรู้สึกที่ใครๆต่างก็เคยพบเจอ บางคนเจอมันบางครั้งนานที บางคนก็เจอเป็นเพื่อนสนิทที่อยู่ติดกันเป็นเงาตามตัว เป็นองค์ประกอบในเพลงรัก หรือความโดดเดี่ยวในนวนิยาย แต่ความเหงา นั้นส่งผลต่อชีวิตมากกว่าที่หลายคนคิดทั้งในแง่ลบ ทั้งในแง่ดี หรือแง่ของกระบวนการธรรมชาติที่แสดงออกมาเพื่อตอบสนองต่อสภาพสังคม แม้ว่าตัวหนังสือจะไม่ได้ลงลึกมากในแง่ของวิชาการมากนักแต่ก็สามารถบอกเล่าถึง ความเหงาในมุมมองอื่นๆนอกจากในแง่ความรู้สึกหนึ่งของผู้คน เป็นการนำเสนอมุมมองที่น่าสนใจของผู้เขียน เกี่ยวกับความเหงา หากใคร เหงา เป็นความรู้สึกที่ใครๆต่างก็เคยพบเจอ บางคนเจอมันบางครั้งนานที บางคนก็เจอเป็นเพื่อนสนิทที่อยู่ติดกันเป็นเงาตามตัว เป็นองค์ประกอบในเพลงรัก หรือความโดดเดี่ยวในนวนิยาย แต่ความเหงา นั้นส่งผลต่อชีวิตมากกว่าที่หลายคนคิดทั้งในแง่ลบ ทั้งในแง่ดี หรือแง่ของกระบวนการธรรมชาติที่แสดงออกมาเพื่อตอบสนองต่อสภาพสังคม แม้ว่าตัวหนังสือจะไม่ได้ลงลึกมากในแง่ของวิชาการมากนักแต่ก็สามารถบอกเล่าถึง ความเหงาในมุมมองอื่นๆนอกจากในแง่ความรู้สึกหนึ่งของผู้คน เป็นการนำเสนอมุมมองที่น่าสนใจของผู้เขียน เกี่ยวกับความเหงา หากใครอยากทำความรู้จักกับความเหงาก็ขอแนะนำเล่มนี้ครับ 。。。more

Kristin ，

Finally finished this one！ My first completed book of 2021 and it’s the one I’ve been reading since 2018 lolThis one reads more like a textbook/research paper。 That’s not necessarily a complaint because I found the subject matter to be quite fascinating。 But it does make it difficult to pick back up once you put it down。The author uses lots of scientific jargon， which might make it difficult to understand if you’re not familiar with scientific language。 Nonetheless， this book makes you realize t Finally finished this one！ My first completed book of 2021 and it’s the one I’ve been reading since 2018 lolThis one reads more like a textbook/research paper。 That’s not necessarily a complaint because I found the subject matter to be quite fascinating。 But it does make it difficult to pick back up once you put it down。The author uses lots of scientific jargon， which might make it difficult to understand if you’re not familiar with scientific language。 Nonetheless， this book makes you realize the importance of social connection。 And while I wouldn’t reread it， I’m going to try incorporating what I learned into my daily routine （hopefully preventing chronic loneliness）。 。。。more

Jefferson Hope ，

Asik karena membahas sosial kesepian dan masalah social connection manusia。 Terutama dari sudut pandang biologis。 Bahwa ternyata kesepian pun adalah bentuk hasil dari evolusioner。 Dan bahwa perasaan ini common dirasakan manusia。 Bagaimana caranya untuk tidak larut dan menjadi kronis yang penting， untuk menghindsri dampak-dampak tidak menyenangkan。Sayangnya di akhir penulis kurang menekankan dan memberikan langkah preventif terkait dengan loneliness。 Padahal sayang banget pendahuluan dan isi udah Asik karena membahas sosial kesepian dan masalah social connection manusia。 Terutama dari sudut pandang biologis。 Bahwa ternyata kesepian pun adalah bentuk hasil dari evolusioner。 Dan bahwa perasaan ini common dirasakan manusia。 Bagaimana caranya untuk tidak larut dan menjadi kronis yang penting， untuk menghindsri dampak-dampak tidak menyenangkan。Sayangnya di akhir penulis kurang menekankan dan memberikan langkah preventif terkait dengan loneliness。 Padahal sayang banget pendahuluan dan isi udah penuh dengan fact jurnal， tapi ditutup dengan saran yang kurang nendang。 。。。more

Michael Prado ，

A smartly-speculative work of social neuroscience that artfully weaves scientific observations on individual human sociality into grander threads which span comprehensive principles of communal and phylogenetic social theory。 My only complaint is that the book looses conceptual cohesion in the second half as it transitions from a sound coverage of the factors and consequences of individual loneliness to more broader principles of social behavior which invoke the titular individual behaviors of “ A smartly-speculative work of social neuroscience that artfully weaves scientific observations on individual human sociality into grander threads which span comprehensive principles of communal and phylogenetic social theory。 My only complaint is that the book looses conceptual cohesion in the second half as it transitions from a sound coverage of the factors and consequences of individual loneliness to more broader principles of social behavior which invoke the titular individual behaviors of “loneliness” only as an afterthought。 。。。more

Tracey Oliver ，

Interesting look into loneliness I enjoyed understanding the biology of loneliness and how it modifies our behaviour through increased hyper vigilance， trust and negative feed back cycles which reinforce loneliness。Would have like more strategies to deal with chronic loneliness。

Rebekka Kuzichev ，

Definitely learned some pretty cool things from this book。 There was a lot more on evolution than I cared for and definitely had quite a few parts that were pretty dry。

Ojasvi ，

A bit dry and meandering at times

Kyle Farris ，

I am a loneliness researcher and advocate for social health。 As a result， I would absolutely recommend this book。 Cacioppo's research is profoundly important as we continue to struggle with rampant individualism and the added strain of the 2020 pandemic。 We surely have a lot of work to do to heal。I find reading literature on social psychology is somewhat repetitive。 If you have read a book like Matthew Lieberman's "Social，" you likely have heard many of the stories shared within Cacioppo's "Lone I am a loneliness researcher and advocate for social health。 As a result， I would absolutely recommend this book。 Cacioppo's research is profoundly important as we continue to struggle with rampant individualism and the added strain of the 2020 pandemic。 We surely have a lot of work to do to heal。I find reading literature on social psychology is somewhat repetitive。 If you have read a book like Matthew Lieberman's "Social，" you likely have heard many of the stories shared within Cacioppo's "Loneliness。" It doesn't hurt to have the reminders though。 Enjoy！5-Star: Everyone should read this。4-Star: Everyone in this specific field should read this。3-Star: This was a decent read for the specific field， but there are better options。2-Star: It got me to the end of the book， so there is that。1-Star: It was bad enough that I didn't finish it。 。。。more

Christina Sullivan ，

This book was very informative and explains a lot about our culture。

Marino Linić ，

A decent entry-level book on the evolutionary and health benefits of social connection。 But for anyone who is already interested in this subject and knows a thing or two， this book is going to bring nothing new。

quigley ，

Not my favorite， a bit one noted。 Perhaps Sapolsky skewed my expectations for this one。

Ruby ，

Fascinating look at a feeling I think we all know quite well。 Not something I knew much about it turned out so that was a delight and it also was inspiring in some ways。 Good little psychology read for those who like that kinda thing！

Cruise H ，

A fascinating and educational study both of the causal behaviors of loneliness as well as an in depth study of how loneliness creates a cycle of perpetual pain and the methods by which it does this。 The book goes into several related fields of psychology as well as biology and the genealogy of how loneliness has evolved and grown with our species。 The explanation of pure research in the field contributes to this book's phenomenal portrayal of the science of loneliness。 A fascinating and educational study both of the causal behaviors of loneliness as well as an in depth study of how loneliness creates a cycle of perpetual pain and the methods by which it does this。 The book goes into several related fields of psychology as well as biology and the genealogy of how loneliness has evolved and grown with our species。 The explanation of pure research in the field contributes to this book's phenomenal portrayal of the science of loneliness。 。。。more

Maura ，

Lots of research。 Not a lot of practical advice， however。

Virginia Cornelia ，

Am citit aproape jumatate， acum peste o luna。 Mi s a parut interesanta， dar parca prea academica pentru interesul meu de acum。Poate o sa revin la un moment dat。

Jarret ，

Very well done look at the need for social relationships in

Sara ，

This is a very good‚ insightful book。 Straight to the point but fairly elaborate with no unnecessary jargon。 （Some chapters did contain detailed scientific terms and explanations but that's ok since the authors' approach to the subject is primarily scientific）。 I lost interest towards the end of the book （last 2 chapters） and started skimming since the authors started repeating clichés and offering standard generalized solutions which I found disappointing‚ since they were very thorough and hand This is a very good‚ insightful book。 Straight to the point but fairly elaborate with no unnecessary jargon。 （Some chapters did contain detailed scientific terms and explanations but that's ok since the authors' approach to the subject is primarily scientific）。 I lost interest towards the end of the book （last 2 chapters） and started skimming since the authors started repeating clichés and offering standard generalized solutions which I found disappointing‚ since they were very thorough and handled the subject in depth from many perspectives earlier in the book‚ which kind of raised my expectations。This book argues that chronic loneliness （distinguished from voluntary solitude and from separate feelings of loneliness from time to time） can cause health issues and early death。 But is also caused by an interplay of factors including genetic disposition‚ the influence of our environment and distorted perceptions of social events and cues caused by loneliness–which was the catch-22 they mentioned in the book: that lonely people often go into an infinite loop of feeling isolated because of preexisting factors‚ which makes their thinking‚ perception‚ and behavior in a social context even worse‚ driving themselves further into a downward spiral and a vicious circle of loneliness‚ unless they break the cycle。 I found the part where they discussed the ramifications of global capitalism‚ the praise of aggressive individualism‚ that emerged after the industrial revolution‚ at the expense of meaningful social bonds and a profound sense of community quite interesting‚ as it put the problem of loneliness and isolation in a broader social context。 Although this is more prevalent in Western culture‚ it's not far-fetched to believe other parts of the world are following suit。 There were many examples and experiments mentioned to illustrate how loneliness and feelings of isolation can have a direct effect on people physically‚ which I appreciated。 Overall the authors argue that social‚ meaningful connection is necessary for survival‚ and that we cannot ignore the "design specifications‚" that is‚ the way humans are essentially; "social animals‚" that make social connection necessary for good mental‚ emotional and even physical health。 。。。more

Rien ，

I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did。 It’s heavily scientific focusing on research more than personal anecdotes， but the author makes the information easy to understand。 I learned a lot of very interesting facts， not only about loneliness， but about evolution and biology。

Christian Cacatian ，

Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection by John T。 Cacioppo and William Patrick。 A humbling book that cuts down the term Loneliness， vast in scope and emotion that reveals the facets of social pain of an individual， and his need for connection。 Important read！ This nonfiction ride made me understand a little more of myself than others （weirdly enough）。

Brian Sachetta ，

I’ve read a few titles that’ve referenced this book， so I figured it was finally time to give this one a shot。 Within it， Cacioppo and Patrick shrewdly break down the evolutionary roots of loneliness and the effects it has on our psychology and physiology。Those effects include many detrimental factors， but one of the most detrimental， in my opinion， is the fact that loneliness often becomes a trap。 That is， we feel lonely， so we shy away from connecting with others， which in turn， makes us shame I’ve read a few titles that’ve referenced this book， so I figured it was finally time to give this one a shot。 Within it， Cacioppo and Patrick shrewdly break down the evolutionary roots of loneliness and the effects it has on our psychology and physiology。Those effects include many detrimental factors， but one of the most detrimental， in my opinion， is the fact that loneliness often becomes a trap。 That is， we feel lonely， so we shy away from connecting with others， which in turn， makes us shameful and even more lonely， which starts the cycle over yet again。The key to breaking out of this trap is reconnecting with others， in spite of our negative feelings。 That could mean any number of things， many of which are covered in this book。 The one caveat to such connection， however， is that it must be real， deep， and， likely， in person; text messages and emails don’t help us connect nearly as much as real-life interaction does。With this in mind， the authors close the book on something of a warning note: technology and the global economy are changing the way we connect with one another， and if we want to avoid the devastating effects of loneliness in the future， we’re going to have to go out of our way to preserve our social connections in spite of such sweeping societal changes。In the end， I found this one to be quite an eye-opening read。 I recommend it to sociologists， psychiatrists， or anyone curious about mental health in general。-Brian SachettaAuthor of “Get Out of Your Head: A Toolkit for Living with and Overcoming Anxiety” 。。。more

Sriram Vasu ，

A brilliant book on the science of feeling lonely， and how it can alter our perceptions。 The author goes into good detail about the evolutionary origins of feelings of loneliness， and draws good parallels into its relevance today。 They also suggest some biologically inspired techniques to counteract those feelings。

Guilherme Faria ，

3 stars for the writing， a bit repetitive。 Maybe it could be an article？4 stars for the overall message and its importance。 In a nutshell， loneliness has been discovered to be as big a health risk as smoking， obesity and such - even though Western culture values individuality and fosters isolation more and more。Watching his TED Talk may be enough to understand the subject。 In contrast， the book presents several experiments that were done in the field， some personal stories and implications on th 3 stars for the writing， a bit repetitive。 Maybe it could be an article？4 stars for the overall message and its importance。 In a nutshell， loneliness has been discovered to be as big a health risk as smoking， obesity and such - even though Western culture values individuality and fosters isolation more and more。Watching his TED Talk may be enough to understand the subject。 In contrast， the book presents several experiments that were done in the field， some personal stories and implications on the level of the individual and society。 So read the book if you want to spend more time with the subject， but I wouldn't say it's necessary to get the point。 。。。more

Dolly ，

A tour de force that comes out once in a decade。 If you have ever felt lonely in your life， this is a book to understand it from every possible angle: psychological， sociological， evolutionary and literary。

Patrick ，

This is an evolutionary biologist take on loneliness。 Although it was interesting to see how social isolation effects our mammalian cousins， I wanted more of answers on how to practically mitigate the risk besides the 1 chapter that was dedicated to it。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0