Japan has appointed a "Minister of Loneliness" in an attempt to reduce loneliness and social isolation among its residents as the country deals with rising suicide rates, Tomohiro Osaki reported for the Japan Times.

We are all suffering from a certain amount of loneliness as a result of social distancing during the pandemic. This post focuses on the particular disadvantages faced by many boys and men. Males in our culture tend to rely on opportunistic socialization—socializing while engaging in a shared activity. For them, feeling the need to actively reach out to others can trigger a shame response about appearing ‘needy.’

After hours of isolation, dopamine-producing cells in the brain fire up in response to pictures of humans, showing our social side runs deep.

Hannah Arendt enjoyed her solitude, but she believed that loneliness could make people susceptible to totalitarianism. What prepares men for totalitarian domination in the non-totalitarian world is the fact that loneliness, once a borderline experience usually suffered in certain marginal social conditions like old age, has become an everyday experience...

Sharing a home with a pet appeared to act as a buffer against psychological stress during lockdown, a new survey shows. Most people who took part in the research perceived their pets to be a source of considerable support during the lockdown period (23 March -- 1 June, 2020).

Long before the world had ever heard of covid-19, Kay Tye set out to answer a question that has taken on new resonance in the age of social distancing: When people feel lonely, do they crave social interactions in the same way a hungry person craves food? And could she and her colleagues detect and measure this “hunger” in the neural circuits of the brain?

Studies suggest that we are finding ways to connect even amid quarantine

Working from home can start to feel isolating, leading to loneliness, which can have negative health effects, according to researchers. Fortunately, there are ways to combat it.

Absence of human contact is associated with declines in cognitive function. But as the COVID-19 pandemic brings concerns about the potential harms of isolation to the fore, researchers are still hunting for concrete evidence of a causal role as well as possible mechanisms.

While you may not have been quite this isolated over the last few months, reentry into life after lockdown might be bumpier than you expect.

A new study finds differences in how lonelier people's brains represent others.

Even before the COVID pandemic, many experts posited that loneliness was itself an American epidemic. Now, many fear the reduction in social contact may especially affect those populations most vulnerable to isolation and loneliness. Now, emerging research explores the manner in which the brain maps relationships with other people in relation to one’s self.

New research highlights the profound effect of severe social isolation on the brain

Our lives have changed radically but we can adapt, says a former Guardian journalist who has lived alone on a boat for three years – and learned to love it

It’s not just isolation and loneliness - research shows working from home is far worse for team cohesion and innovation than working in the office: says Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour, Dr Libby Sander of Bond Business School.

American workers are feeling more isolated, and younger workers are experiencing loneliness more so than their older co-workers, according to a new Cigna study.

Loneliness is on the rise and millennials and members of Generation Z are lonelier than older generations, according to a new survey. The Cigna 2020 Loneliness Index is based on a questionnaire answered by more than 10,400 people.

A new survey of 10,000 Americans finds 61% of us are lonely. Young people, men and those new at their jobs are some of the hardest hit.

From cocktails to karaoke, more Japanese people are going it alone. What's causing the huge change in the traditionally group-oriented country?