The Effects of

Isolation on the
Mind
Henry Holtslander
Objectives

1. Students will understand either the lengths that people will go to in

order to avoid isolation or the way in which socialization can be
beneficial to learning and success.
2. Students will learn about the different parts of the brain and their
function
3. Students will learn how theses parts of the brain are affected by
isolation
Line Test
#1
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#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
Game Over
 Conformity
Definition: Correspondence in form, nature, or character; agreement, congruity,or accordance
(Conformity).

When we interact with others, our brain releases certain chemicals that
make us feel good like oxytocin. This is an evolutionary benefit to humans
because it encourages us to work together, but people who are cut off from
society do not get this same release of “feel good” chemicals. Both the
feelings of happiness and empathy are less active in isolated people.

(University of Chicago)
Parts of the Brain
 Frontal Lobe
Frontal Lobe
● Personality, behavior, emotions
● Judgment, planning, problem
solving
● Speech: speaking and writing
(Broca’s area)
● Body movement (motor strip)
● Intelligence, concentration, self
awareness

(Hines)
 Parietal Lobe
Parietal Lobe
● Interprets language, words
● Sense of touch, pain, temperature
(sensory strip)

(Hines)
 Temporal Lobe

● Understanding language
(Wernicke’s area)
● Memory
● Hearing
● Sequencing and organization

Temporal Lobe
(Hines)
 Occipital Lobe

● Interprets vision (color, light,

movement)

Occipital Lobe

(Hines)
 Kahoot!
https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/5dc9f86a-d396-461b-9a
19-f868dd475595
Bibliography

“Conformity.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/conformity.

Accessed 2 Mar 2018.

I used this source to provide a definition of conformity on my slides, and used the definition to help formulate
my experiment and argument.

Diab, Emma. “What Isolation Does to Your Brain (and How You Can Fight It).” Thrillist,
Thrillist, 11 Apr. 2016, www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/what-isolation-
Does-to-your-brain. Accessed 11 Oct 2017.

This source analyzes Alan Kay’s prolonged trip through the Canadian wilderness. It looks at the effects that
being isolated had on him both physically and mentally, and it talks about some of the coping methods that he
used to survive.
Bibliography

Goleman, Daniel. “Researchers Add Sounds of Silence To the Growing List of Health
Risks.”The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Aug. 1988,
nytimes.com/1988/08/04/us/health-psychology-researchers-add-sounds-silence-growing-l
Ist-health-risks.html. Accessed 11 Oct 2017.

This source talks about the effects that isolation has on the body, and about the ironic relationship between our
growing understanding of the effects of isolation, and the number of people that are living isolated lives. This
source provides useful information about the physical aspects of being isolated, and attempts to explain it on a
chemical level.

Hines, Tonya. “Anatomy of the Brain.” Brain Anatomy, Anatomy of the Human Brain, Mayfield
Brain and Spine, www.mayfieldclinic.com/PE-AnatBrain.htm. Accessed February 10,
2018

This source identifies the different parts of the brain and their function. It will be useful for figuring out which
parts of the brain are specifically targeted by extended periods of isolation.
Bibliography

University of Chicago. "Loneliness Affects How The Brain Operates." ScienceDaily.

ScienceDaily, 17 February 2009, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/
2009/02/090215151800.htm. Accessed 11 Oct 2017.

This source talks about the areas of the brain that fire during social interactions, and compares the way that
these areas light up when people view pleasing social interactions, and when they view people in isolation. They
found that lonely people’s brains responded less to both pleasant and unpleasant images.

Willigan, Maclyn. “What Solitary Confinement Does to the Human Brain.” Solitary Watch,
Solitary Watch, 16 Oct. 2015, http://solitarywatch.com/2014/08/04/what-solitary-
Confinement-does-to-the-human-brain/. Accessed 11 Oct 2017.

This source analyzes the way in which solitary confinement destroys people's ability to interact with other
people. It takes in numerous accounts of people’s lives after they have experience extended periods of solitary
confinement, and it shows that it destroys their ability to function in society.