Everyone needs time to themselves, and peaceful solitude has stress-relieving benefits.
But being alone takes on an entirely different dimension when it creeps up or is forced upon you.
When that's the case, the effects can be surprisingly extensive.
And though different people experience distinct effects at different times, symptoms tend to become more severe and persistent the longer one's isolated.
When someone is involuntarily confined to one space indefinitely — for days, weeks, months, or even years — alone and without productive tasks, their body will likely undergo numerous changes.
Let's take a look at what may happen and why.
Early on, stress hormones may spike, and as time passes, that stress can become chronic.
Social interactions and meaningful activities are essential for emotional stability.
This may be because they provide us with what researchers call "social reality testing" — a sort of sounding board where we can gauge how rational our perceptions are.
So, when someone's deprived of those kinds of communication and tasks, their sense of identity and reality becomes threatened.
