Social isolation is very frowned upon, so most people tend to avoid it. It is therefore no coincidence that research very often focuses on how to solve this problem. However, a study estimates that when social isolation is chosen, it can be beneficial for creativity. But not only.
Chronic social isolation tends to weakenmental health. In humans, it is indeed common to associate it with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. A 2018 study suggests that social isolation even causes a particular chemical to build up in the brain. However, blocking this same substance would eliminate the negative effects of isolation.
Social isolation is often seen as a public health issue . Some research estimates, for example, that the risk of death is similar to that of diabetes. However, we are talking about serious cases of involuntary isolation . What if social isolation as a matter of personal choice had benefits?
In Chapter 6 of the second edition of The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity (2019), the American psychologist Gregory Feist indicates that voluntary isolation improves creativity . According to the interested party, creativity is a thought that has two key elements, namely usefulness and originality. However, the expert associates several personality traits with it, i.e. openness, personal efficiency, autonomy as well as a underdeveloped interest in socialization (unsociability).
A study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences in 2017 and conducted by the State University of New York at Buffalo (USA) even suggests a health benefit. The researchers made two findings. First, creativity is specifically linked to unsociability . Second, unsociability has no correlation with aggression, which is the case for the other causes of social isolation, namely shyness and avoidance.
Study leaders highlight state of mental rest brain that unsociability allows. When another person is present, the brain of the unsociable volunteer cannot help but be attentive. It is therefore a distraction, although it is positive. The thing is, people who prefer social isolation unleash their creativity, allowing them to activate a neural network that helps consolidate memory but also better understand themselves and others.
This may seem paradoxical, but isolation (or rather withdrawal) allows these people to regain a social life . The researchers also indicate that they certainly have fewer friends, but that these friendships are often stronger. Above all, these people would ultimately be happier!
