Social insulation drives behavior looking for prizes in teenagers

The study showed that teenagers are very motivated to look for prizes after just a few hours of social insulation. This may be beneficial in leading them towards social interactions, but when the possibilities of connection are limited, they can lead to the implementation of less healthy awards, such as alcohol or drugs.

When we feel socially isolated, our brain motivates us to look for prizes. The current theory maintains that this is a favorable evolutionary adaptation that helps us to connect with others again.

The study conducted by the University of Cambridge showed that people in late teenagers are very sensitive to the experience of loneliness. After only a few hours without any social interactions, teenagers make much more effort to get prizes.

This increased motivation to search for prizes can help in a social re -connection. But when connecting to others is not possible, a change in behavior may be problematic – for example by making some people more likely to search for prizes such as alcohol or recreational drugs.

The study showed that the effect was stronger in teenagers who reported a sense of loneliness during isolation. When the participants of the study could interact with others in social media during isolation, they reported that you feel less lonely-and their behavior seeking prizes changed less dramatically.

The report was published today in the journal

“Our study shows how sensitive young people are for very short periods of isolation,” said Dr. Livia Tomova, the first author of the report, who conducted a study at the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Cambridge.

“We found that loneliness significantly increases the motivation of young people to search for prizes – regardless of whether it is more social contact, money or something else,” added Tomova, who is now based at the University of Cardiff.

Research suggests that teen loneliness has doubled all over the world over the past decade. Social media has been suggested, but scientists say that there may also be many other changes in society.

Social media can lead to loneliness in some teenagers, but our study suggests that this relationship is complex. “

Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, Faculty of Psychology at the University of Cambridge, senior author of the report

She added: “Virtual interaction with others seems to be insulated teenagers less prompted to search for external awards, compared to when they are isolated without access to social media. It suggests that social media may reduce some negative effects of insulation – but of course we do not know what potentially harmful effects could have at the same time.”

While the study participants were less bored and lonely in insulation, if they had access to social media, they still experienced the same decrease in a positive mood as those without access.

Social interaction is a basic human need, and its lack leads to loneliness. Until now, a very limited understanding of how loneliness affects the behavior of teenagers, and most scientific experiments carried out in animal models.

How was the test done?

Scientists recruited young people from the Cambridge area, Great Britain, conducting extensive screening tests to gather a group of 40 teenagers aged 16–19 years who had good social connections, lack of mental health history and an average level of loneliness for their age group.

Participants received preliminary tests to determine their basic result for each task. Then on two different days they were asked to spend three to four hours alone in the room before performing the same computer tasks again.

In one of the insulation days, participants had no social interactions, but on the other, they had access to virtual social interactions via a phone or laptop.

The study showed that when virtual interactions were available, almost half of the participants spent over half of the time online – mainly using Snapchat, Instagram and WhatsApp to send a message to their friends.

In general, the study showed that participants became more motivated to look at images of positive social interactions and play games in which they could win money, after isolation for about four hours. They also learned how to win these awards in “machine fruit” games.

If they could practically interact with others during isolation, they reported that they felt less lonely. They were also less willing to make an effort in tasks than when they did not have virtual social interaction during insulation.