Isolation and alienation are two growing problems in the world of incessant media.
The Ohio State University research and innovation communications department finds that loneliness is a harmful state of being.
Inflammation from the stress of alienation and the feelings of exclusion translate into feeling greater physical pain, raised herpes outbreaks, depression and fatigue. Lisa Jarmeka of the Ohio State University research team finds that lonely people have higher incidents of feeling like their relationships are of poor-quality and experience higher mortality rates with greater increases in significant health decline.
Students are a busy bunch. With school, homework and jobs there is little time for socialization in many cases.
“The Shepherd campus is really open, and you start building friendships as you meet more people,” said Ethan Johnson, a senior political science major. Johnson finds there are periods in which he feels more isolated than others.
“Usually in January it’s a long cold dry spell (for social interaction), and it’s a slog through the colder months,” Johnson said. He rarely feels ill and never thought to attribute it to being out of touch socially.
“I find I’m normally sick during January, if I’m sick at all,” Johnson said. He found the correlation between the two to be surprising.
The heart, immune system and brain are all affected negatively by feeling like an outcast or using social media as the only social interaction.
“Chronic loneliness can cause you to lose the ability to enjoy anything and everything in life,” says John Tesh.
“The increased mortality risk is comparable to that from smoking, and loneliness is about twice as dangerous as obesity,” said Jessica Olien, a writer and illustrator in New York.
“The number of people we know is not the best measure. In order to be socially satisfied, we don’t need many people,” Olien said.
“The key is in the quality, not the quantity of those people. We just need several on whom we can depend and who depend on us in return,” said John T. Cacioppo of the University of Chicago.
The Shepherd campus is rife with groups and teams, and it has a rich multi-cultural population. Additionally, among the populace, veterans are 220 strong.
“Veterans here are so far off the beaten path from the general population here, it’s ridiculous,” said Chris Barnhart, president of the Shepherd University Veterans’ Organization. He stays busy with the group and its members just like he did in the Marine Corps.
“It doesn’t really affect me,” Barnhart said of feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Susan Barrera of The Veterans’ Voice finds that the biggest contributor to feelings of alienation and separatism by veterans is PTSD.
The holiday season is oftentimes the reason for depression and feelings of exclusion. Some ways to combat those inklings is to have a face-to-face conversation, join a club or group or go to church. Being lonely or seeing someone who might be down may be abated by reaching out.
For help with depression or anxiety from loneliness contact the Shepherd Counseling Services at 876-5161 from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., at www.shepherd.edu/safweb/counseling/ and at their 24 Hour Crisis Line: 304-263-8954 EastRidge Health Systems.
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