Connection

We evolved as a social species because we needed connection with others, to be safe. Living in groups also leveraged our abilities to build shelter, find food, and protect ourselves from wild animals or other groups of humans. There is power in numbers, and our social skills were instrumental in surviving waves of war and natural disaster. Humans who lived together simply had a greater chance of propagating the species.

​

This has hardwired us to crave connection. John Cacioppo, a University of Chicago social psychologist professor, has found that when people are lonely, inflammation increase, sleep becomes more difficult, and immunity decreases. In an MRI of the brain, social rejection triggers the same region as physical pain.