Stress-related gene regulation: Do isolated and connected individuals differ?

Social isolation and loneliness (known as social disconnection, collectively) lead to serious downstream health effects, including shortening of lifespan and higher risk for cardiac disease. We must better understand how isolation and loneliness lead to these negative health outcomes. Previous literature has demonstrated that social motivation and social ability are contributors to the likelihood of social isolation and loneliness. We examined the effect of the above social factors on immune gene expression in socially-connected and -isolated individuals.