What Would Happen If You Were Alone Forever?

Hey there, welcome to Life Noggin. I’ve been alone in my house for days now. Triangle Bob got stuck in a well. Circlia is saving the world from aliens. And Ronbus is out inventing the perfect chicken nugget. Being alone for this long got me thinking... What if you were locked away with no one else around? What if you were alone forever? Oh...Hey GingerPale! What are you doing here? I heard you were doing a video on being alone, and I felt like you needed an expert! I just now realized how sad that sounds, so never mind. I should go… No No No! Stay! What better way to talk about being alone then to have a great friend join me! That uh...made more sense in my head... DID YOU JUST CALL ME A GREAT FRIEND!? Being around other people has a lot of benefits - from increased levels of happiness to a longer lifespan. Plus, friends tell you when you’ve got food stuck in your teeth, which is definitely an added bonus. But when you’re stuck somewhere with literally no other people around, chaos ensues. It’s um... It's not fun. One infamous study on the effects of solitary confinement was conducted in the 1950s by a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin. He took monkeys and locked each of them away inside their own chamber and the results were disturbing to say the least. The researcher began to see negative effects in just a few days and at times, even found the monkeys rocking back and forth, mutilating their own bodies, or staring off into space. and if you’re like “GingerPale, that sounds awful and mean, we probably shouldn't do that ever again” Well I agree! Let's just be nice! Ya know? Let's not bully monkeys! For obvious reasons, experiments like these are almost never carried out with humans, but researchers can sometimes study prisoners in solitary confinement to get some answers as to what this type of isolation does to a person. At least one study found that when people are locked away from the outside world, they can lose almost all control over their behaviors and even their thoughts. Their cognitive function begins to decline, EEG activity drops, and anxiety skyrockets, causing paranoia, extreme anger, panic attacks and a whole list of other things. Unsurprisingly, suicide and self-harm rates amongst people trapped in a cage with no contact to the outside world are incredibly high. One study found that 73% of all suicides in California prisons occurred in solitary isolation, even though that population accounted for less than 10% of all California prisoners. Hallucinations are also known to affect people in solitary confinement. This phenomenon can cause people to see or hear things that aren’t there. These experiences are the result of abnormal brain activity that cause a lapse in someone’s ability to perceive things for what they really are. In situations of extreme isolation, they can occur because people aren’t regularly exercising their ability to see, understand and perceive real things from the outside world. Also why is that Giant coffee mug staring at me?... ....Anyway, the problems caused by being completely alone aren’t just psychological. Studies have found this type of isolation can cause all kinds of bodily harm too - like heart problems, muscle pain, digestive issues, major weight loss, and loss of appetite. How long someone can survive or stay sane in these scenarios depends totally on the person. The longest anyone in the US has been kept in solitary confinement and away from the outside world is 43 years. He did have one hour a day in a metal cage outside, but he was still completely alone and shackled. If someone has a mental illness, complete isolation can be especially harmful. The DOJ, UN, and numerous other organizations all agree with this. But studies have found that, for anyone, even just a few days in social isolation can cause long-term mental damage. These practices are considered inhumane and very controversial. On second thought I think i actually just like staying alone in my house sometimes. Nothing bad can happen to me there. NO NO NO NO NOT AGAIN! NO! Boy i’m sure glad we got to hangout! Right GingerPale!? Gingerpale!? Huh!? Not really sure where he went, but let us know what you’d like to see us talk about next! Thank you to Gingerpale for coming over to my world! Don’t forget to head over to his amazing channel and watch the video I did with him over in his world! He makes beautiful animated videos that you have to check out! As always my name is Blocko, this has been Life Noggin, don't forget to keep on thinking!