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(https://www.psypost.org/lonely-individuals-tend-to-think-and-talk-in-an-unusual-way-study-finds/) Lonely individuals tend to think and talk in an unusual way, study finds
Nov 24th 2024, 08:00

Two neuroimaging studies found that lonely individuals’ neural representations of well-known celebrities diverged from those typical for their group in the medial prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain. Lonelier individuals were also more likely to use unusual language when describing well-known celebrities and to describe them in ways that were not typical for their group. The research was published in Communications Psychology.
Loneliness is the subjective feeling of being socially isolated or lacking meaningful connections, regardless of actual social contact. It can arise from life transitions, such as moving, losing a loved one, or retiring, as well as from social rejection or a lack of supportive relationships.
Chronic loneliness is linked to mental health issues like depression and anxiety, as well as physical health problems, including weakened immunity, cardiovascular disease, and an increased risk of mortality. Lonely individuals tend to experience lower self-esteem, heightened sensitivity to social rejection, and difficulty forming or maintaining relationships. They may also perceive social interactions more negatively, creating a cycle that reinforces their isolation. In older adults, loneliness is particularly concerning, as it is strongly associated with cognitive decline and dementia. In children and adolescents, it can hinder social development and academic performance.
Study author Timothy W. Broom and his colleagues hypothesized that lonely individuals form mental representations of contemporary culture that deviate from those generally accepted in their social environment. In other words, they think in unusual ways. Because of this, lonely individuals tend to perceive that their ideas are not shared by others, which is a defining feature of loneliness.
Research has shown that socially connected individuals (e.g., friends or romantic partners) tend to have similar neural responses to popular culture media. Building on this, the researchers hypothesized that lonely individuals would have neural responses to popular culture topics (e.g., celebrities) that differ from those of the majority in their group. Additionally, the way they speak about these topics would also be unusual. The researchers conducted two studies to explore these ideas.
The first study analyzed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data collected from two groups of participants, consisting of 80 individuals in total, with an average age of 20–21 years. While undergoing fMRI scans, participants completed an evaluation asking them to assess their own traits, traits of selected close others, acquaintances, and five well-known celebrities (Justin Bieber, Ellen DeGeneres, Kim Kardashian, Barack Obama, and Mark Zuckerberg). They also rated how close they felt to each of the individuals they evaluated and completed a separate assessment of loneliness using the UCLA Loneliness Scale.
The second study was an online survey conducted with 923 Amazon Mechanical Turk workers, whose average age was 40 years. Participants completed the same loneliness assessment as in the first study and answered a series of questions about a prominent celebrity. Participants were first given a list of 10 celebrities and asked to indicate which ones they were familiar with. A celebrity from their list was then randomly chosen, and participants were asked to describe that celebrity in their own words, as if they were describing them to a friend. Following this, participants rated how close they felt to the celebrity and assessed the extent to which the celebrity possessed various psychological traits from a presented list.
The results of the first study indicated that lonely participants’ neural representations of celebrities diverged from those of the rest of the group. Pairwise comparisons of participants’ brain responses while performing the celebrity evaluation task focused on the medial prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain involved in encoding and retrieving social knowledge. The researchers found that brain responses of lonely individuals in this region were less similar to those of other participants, compared to individuals who felt less lonely. This likely suggests that lonely individuals think about celebrities in more unusual ways.
Interestingly, the study also revealed a particularly strong consensus among participants regarding the neural representations of Justin Bieber compared to the other four celebrities.
In the second study, the researchers conducted a text analysis using Google’s Universal Sentence Encoder to examine the descriptions participants provided about celebrities. They computed the semantic similarity between all possible pairs of participant texts. The analysis revealed that texts written by lonelier individuals tended to be less similar to those written by other participants. Moreover, lonelier individuals were more likely to report feeling that their perceptions of celebrities were inaccurate or not shared by those around them.
“Shared reality fosters social connections between people and increases confidence in one’s knowledge because it is corroborated by others. Our findings provide evidence that loneliness is associated with deviations from the zeitgeist, specifically when it comes to perceptions of well-known celebrities,” the study authors concluded.
“Loneliness corresponded with idiosyncratic [unusual, unique] neural representations of celebrities as well as more idiosyncratic communication about celebrities, particularly when an otherwise strong consensus existed between less lonely people. Lonely individuals’ feeling that their ideas are not shared by the people around them is more than metaphorical; it is objectively reflected in idiosyncratic knowledge of contemporary culture that strays from the consensus.”
This study contributes to the scientific understanding of loneliness. However, it primarily focused on chronic loneliness, as assessed by the study’s measures. Loneliness can also be a temporary or transitory state, and it remains uncertain whether these findings apply solely to chronically lonely individuals or if they also extend to temporary experiences of loneliness.
The paper, “(https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-024-00088-3) Loneliness corresponds with neural representations and language use that deviate from shared cultural perceptions,” was authored by Timothy W. Broom, Siddhant Iyer, Andrea L. Courtney, and Meghan L. Meyer.

(https://www.psypost.org/separated-fathers-struggle-to-maintain-contact-with-children-especially-daughters-study-finds/) Separated fathers struggle to maintain contact with children, especially daughters, study finds
Nov 24th 2024, 06:00

Parental separation can strain family bonds, but the effects are not evenly distributed between mothers and fathers. A new study published in the (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jomf.13037) Journal of Marriage and Family has found that fathers in Italy tend to have significantly less contact with their children after separation, with this gap being especially wide for daughters. Even in the digital age, where communication tools are more accessible, separated fathers struggle to maintain consistent relationships.
Parental separation disrupts family dynamics, often reducing parental involvement. Previous research has shown that fathers tend to lose more contact with their children than mothers after separation. However, less is understood about how these patterns vary depending on the child’s gender and the methods of communication used.
Understanding these dynamics is particularly important in Italy, where family ties are traditionally strong, and mothers often play a central role in maintaining familial relationships. A new study aimed to explore how gender differences manifest in face-to-face, phone, and digital communication between separated parents and their children, focusing on adult children in an Italian context.
“My interest in this topic stems from two societal changes in many Western countries,” said study author (https://marcotosi16.wordpress.com/) Marco Tosi, an associate professor of statistical sciences at the (https://homes.stat.unipd.it/marcotosi/en/home-2/) University of Padua and head of the (https://sites.google.com/view/kinhealth/home) KinHealth research project.
“First, family structures are changing, with a multiplication of diverse relationship types, including those arising from parental divorce, such as stepfamilies. I am interested in the consequences of these changes on family relationships and how these consequences interact with gender differences between mothers and fathers as well as between sons and daughters.”
“Second, the rise of digitalization has introduced new ways to maintain parent-child contact, even after separation. Digital tools enable communication without requiring emotional investment or direct confrontation, which is a fascinating dynamic to explore.”
“Additionally, I believe Italy is a particularly interesting case because divorce rates have only recently started increasing compared to other Western countries, and Italian society is traditionally regarded as ‘familistic,’ with a strong emphasis on family ties. However, this cultural aspect seems to be shifting as family forms diversify.”
The researchers utilized data from the Families, Social Subjects and Life Cycle survey conducted by the Italian National Statistical Office in 2014. This survey provided comprehensive demographic and relationship information from over 24,000 households, making it an ideal dataset for studying intergenerational contact patterns.
The study focused specifically on adult children aged 30–55 who no longer lived with their parents. These age limits were chosen to explore parent-adult child relationships in families where children had transitioned to independent living while excluding older generations where parental separation was less common.
>From the survey, the researchers identified a final sample of 6,770 adult children, corresponding to 11,041 parent-child pairs. They excluded cases where children were still living with parents, where parents had separated after the child turned 17, or where data was incomplete. This ensured the focus remained on families where parental separation occurred during the child’s formative years and where subsequent contact could be measured accurately.
The researchers observed clear gender disparities in parent-child contact after separation. In separated families, fathers were much less likely than mothers to have frequent contact with their children. This pattern was consistent across all communication types, though the gap was most significant for face-to-face and phone interactions.
The disparities between separated mothers and fathers were larger in father-daughter relationships than in father-son relationships. For instance, separated fathers were 29 percentage points less likely than mothers to have frequent face-to-face contact with daughters and 35 percentage points less likely to maintain frequent phone communication. Sons were less likely to differentiate their contact patterns between mothers and fathers, resulting in a smaller gender gap.
“Separated fathers and their daughters are particularly disadvantaged in maintaining contact after parental separation, which may result in both older fathers and young adult daughters receiving less support when needed,” Tosi told PsyPost.
Fathers who had less frequent in-person contact with their children were also less likely to maintain regular phone or digital communication. This supports the “accumulation hypothesis,” which posits that reduced face-to-face contact compounds difficulties in other forms of interaction. In contrast, fathers who maintained frequent in-person contact were more likely to stay connected through phone and digital means as well.
“Initially, I believed that digital devices would at least partially compensate for the loss of contact with separated fathers, as platforms like WhatsApp allow for communication without requiring physical proximity or emotional closeness,” Tosi said. “However, the findings suggest otherwise.”
“While digital communication is less affected by parental separation, it cannot compensate for the reduced contact experienced by separated fathers and their daughters. On the contrary, separated fathers tend to have less frequent in-person, phone, and also digital contact with their children, suggesting a form of parent-child estrangement.”
The child’s age at the time of parental separation appeared to play a significant role, particularly for daughters. Gender disparities in contact were larger when daughters were younger (ages 0–7) at the time of separation but decreased when separations occurred during adolescence (ages 8–17). This suggests that older children may have more opportunities to form balanced relationships with both parents before separation, reducing the impact on post-separation contact.
The study offers important insights but also has limitations. First, it focused on older parents, who may be less familiar with digital communication tools. This generational factor could limit the study’s applicability to younger families. The analysis also relied on cross-sectional data, meaning that pre-existing conflicts or family dynamics before the separation might have influenced the results.
Future research could explore how changes in digital communication technologies and evolving family policies impact parent-child contact in separated families. Additionally, longitudinal studies could better capture how relationships evolve over time and how specific interventions, such as joint custody arrangements, might improve father-child relationships.
“I aim to further develop research on kinship relationships, exploring both nuclear and extended family ties and examining their effects on the health and wellbeing of younger and older generations,” Tosi said.
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.13037) Gender inequality in intergenerational contact after parental separation in the digital era,” was authored by Marco Tosi and Bruno Arpino.

(https://www.psypost.org/cognitive-reflection-linked-to-better-decisions-in-aviation-emergencies/) Cognitive reflection linked to better decisions in aviation emergencies
Nov 23rd 2024, 14:00

Decision-making can mean the difference between safety and disaster in aviation. New research published in (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00140139.2024.2404642) Ergonomics investigates the cognitive and experiential factors that influence how pilots make decisions in simulated emergencies. The findings reveal how flight experience, analytical thinking, and task workload shape decision-making performance, offering valuable insights for enhancing pilot training and aviation safety.
Decision-making is a vital skill for pilots, particularly in complex and unpredictable situations. While standardized procedures and checklists provide essential guidance, pilots must often adapt to unique challenges beyond the scope of these tools. Errors in decision-making have been linked to aviation accidents, underscoring the need for enhanced pilot training to improve cognitive flexibility and reduce reliance on rigid rule-based processes.
Previous research has extensively focused on acute stress and intuitive decision-making models, but there has been little investigation into the roles of general workload and cognitive skills, such as reflective thinking, in real-world scenarios. This study aimed to bridge that gap by examining how cognitive reflection, flight experience, and workload affect pilots’ decision-making performance in simulated emergency scenarios.
“We became interested in this topic because human errors in decision-making can lead to serious accidents in aviation, despite improvements in technology,” said study author (https://www.derby.ac.uk/staff/boban-simonovic/) Boban Simonovic, a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Derby. “We wanted to understand how factors like a pilot’s experience, their ability to think critically, and the stress they feel can affect their decisions during flights. By studying these aspects, we hope to find ways to improve pilot training and ultimately enhance safety in the skies.”
For their new study, the researchers recruited 104 active commercial pilots from an international airline. Participants, including both captains and first officers, represented a wide range of flight experience, with hours logged spanning from 3,000 to 27,000. Before participating, pilots completed a perceived stress scale to measure their baseline stress levels.
In the simulation phase, pilots were presented with two high-fidelity scenarios developed by experts from the airline’s recurrent training program. Both scenarios took place in a full-motion simulator and mimicked real-world operational challenges. The first involved an engine failure, while the second simulated a loss of instrumentation at a high-altitude airport. These scenarios required pilots to make critical decisions, such as whether to continue the flight, divert to an alternate airfield, or return to the original airport. Each pilot’s decision-making performance was evaluated by trained examiners using a standardized grading system based on observable behaviors and task outcomes.
After completing the simulations, pilots took additional assessments, including the Cognitive Reflection Test, a NASA Task Load Index, and a metacognition scale. The Cognitive Reflection Test measured their ability to override intuitive, automatic responses in favor of analytical reasoning. The NASA index assessed the pilots’ perceived workload during the simulation across dimensions such as mental and physical demand, effort, and frustration. The metacognition scale captured the pilots’ self-reported ability to monitor and regulate their thought processes during complex tasks. These data, alongside performance evaluations from the examiners, were analyzed to identify patterns and relationships among the variables.
The researchers found that cognitive reflection was a significant predictor of decision-making performance. Pilots who scored higher on this test demonstrated better outcomes in the simulated scenarios, highlighting the importance of analytical thinking in high-pressure environments. Flight experience also positively influenced decision-making, though this effect was moderated by cognitive reflection. For pilots with lower cognitive reflection scores, additional flight hours had a stronger impact on performance, suggesting that experience can partially compensate for weaker analytical reasoning skills.
“The key message is that a pilot’s ability to think critically and their experience in flying significantly affect how well they make decisions during flights,” Simonovic told PsyPost. “Our study found that pilots who are better at cognitive reflection—essentially, thinking about their thinking—tend to make better decisions as they gain more flying experience. This suggests that focusing on developing these skills in pilots can help prevent mistakes and improve safety during flights.”
Task load emerged as another critical factor, with moderate workload levels associated with optimal decision-making. However, when task demands became excessive, decision-making performance declined, likely due to cognitive overload. Interestingly, however, neither perceived stress nor self-reported metacognition significantly predicted decision-making performance.
“One surprising finding was that stress, and metacognition did not show significant relationships with decision-making performance in our study,” Simonovic said. “This contrasts with some previous research and highlights the complex nature of decision-making in high-pressure aviation scenarios.”
The researchers suggested that the simulated environment, while realistic, may not have replicated the stress levels of real-world emergencies, limiting the observed impact of stress on performance. Similarly, the reliance on self-reported metacognitive ability may have introduced biases that reduced the accuracy of this measure.
But as with all research, there are some limitations. “A major caveat is that our study was conducted with pilots from a single airline,” Simonovic noted. “Future research should expand to multiple airlines and address gender balance to enhance the generalisability of the findings. Additionally, incorporating direct measures of metacognitive monitoring could provide more robust insights into the role of metacognition in pilots’ decision-making processes.”
“Our long-term research goals include developing a more comprehensive understanding of decision-making processes across high-stress environments. We aim to investigate how cognitive reflection, stress, and critical thinking interact to influence performance in complex decision-making scenarios. Specifically, we want to explore strategies for enhancing individual cognitive flexibility, developing training programmes that improve metacognitive skills, and understanding how people can better manage cognitive resources under challenging conditions. By examining these factors across different professional domains, we hope to create more robust frameworks for understanding and improving human decision-making performance.”
“This study builds upon our previous work ((https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bdm.1980) Simonovic et al., 2017; (https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/behavioral-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00217/full) 2018) on cognitive reflection and decision-making under stress,” Simonovic added. “It emphasises the importance of considering individual differences in cognitive abilities when designing training programmes for pilots and other professionals in high-stakes environments.”
The study, “(https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2024.2404642) Examining flight time, cognitive reflection, workload, stress and metacognition on decision making performance for pilots during flight simulation,” was authored by Aoife Mohan, Boban Simonovic, Katia C. Vione, and Edward Stupple.

(https://www.psypost.org/pornographys-role-in-shaping-risky-sexual-norms-in-young-adults/) Pornography’s role in shaping risky sexual norms in young adults
Nov 23rd 2024, 12:00

A new longitudinal study published in (https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2025-37365-001) Psychology of Popular Media has found that increased pornography consumption among university students in Germany is associated with adopting risky sexual scripts and behaviors. The study, which followed participants over nearly two years, provides a comprehensive examination of the temporal link between pornography use and sexual scripts and behaviors.
The global accessibility of pornography has sparked ongoing debate about its potential impact on users’ attitudes and behaviors regarding sex. Pornographic content is consumed by a significant proportion of adults worldwide. Recent data suggest that major pornographic websites receive more traffic than many popular platforms like Amazon and TikTok. While some research suggests that pornography can provide educational benefits, the focus of the new study was on its potential negative influences, particularly on fostering risky sexual behaviors and beliefs.
Theories like cultivation theory and social learning theory posit that media can shape individuals’ views of what is typical and desirable. Pornographic content often normalizes behaviors that are risky with regard to sexual aggression perpetration and victimization, such as casual sexual encounters, alcohol use during sex, and ambiguous communication, potentially influencing users to adopt these behaviors as part of their own sexual scripts.
“In several studies with adolescents and young adults, we proposed and demonstrated that people’s sexual scripts (i.e. their cognitive representation of the common and acceptable elements of consensual sexual interactions) play an important role in trying to understand the risk of sexual aggression perpetration and vulnerability to sexual victimization,” explained (https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/krahe-sozialpsychologie/staff/prof-barbara-krahe) Barbara Krahé, professor emerita of social psychology at the University of Potsdam and the corresponding author of the new research.
“Specifically, if sexual scripts contain aspects that are known to be linked to sexual aggression perpetration and victimization, such as engaging in casual sex, alcohol consumption, and lack of consent communication, they predict an increased probability of sexual perpetration and victimization over time. From these findings, the next logical step for us was to ask: Where do the contents of sexual scripts come from, and pornography suggested itself as the ‘natural candidate’.”
“Content analyses of pornographic depictions of consensual sex showed that what we identified as elements of risky sexual scripts have a high prominence in mainstream pornography: partners typically don’t know each other at all prior to the sexual interaction, they do not talk about consent (instead, resistance of an initially non-consenting person is often ignored and shown to change to willing cooperation), and alcohol often plays a role,” Krahé explained.
“Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that the more participants used pornography and the more realistically they considered it to present sexual interactions, the more likely they would be to incorporate these elements into their scripts for consensual sex and the more likely they would be to engage in sexual interactions that involve these elements (i.e. have casual partners, drink, and fail to communicate about consent).”
For their study, the research team recruited 588 students from universities in Berlin and Brandenburg, Germany, to participate in a study examining their sexual behaviors and attitudes. Participants were surveyed three times over a span of 23 months, with 80% completing all three waves. The sample included 380 women and 208 men, with an average age of 22 years at the beginning of the study.
The study focused on two key aspects of pornography consumption: frequency and perceived realism. Participants rated how often they intentionally consumed pornographic content on a five-point scale ranging from “never” to “very often.” To measure perceived realism, participants responded to three statements, such as “The way sexuality is presented in pornographic media is quite realistic,” using a five-point agreement scale.
Participants’ sexual scripts were assessed through a detailed, scenario-based measure. They were asked to imagine spending an evening with a new partner and then engaging in sexual activity. This exercise captured two components: descriptive elements (the likelihood of specific behaviors, such as drinking alcohol or engaging in casual sex) and normative evaluations (participants’ approval or disapproval of these behaviors). Risky sexual scripts were calculated by combining these two scores, with higher values indicating greater endorsement of risky behaviors. Actual sexual behavior was assessed through nine items, such as how often participants had casual sex, used alcohol during sex, or communicated their sexual intentions ambiguously.
The researchers found that participants who reported higher pornography use were more likely to endorse risky sexual scripts, such as casual sex, alcohol use in sexual situations, and ambiguous communication. These scripts were not just abstract beliefs but were reflected in their actual behaviors. For instance, participants who frequently consumed pornography were more likely to engage in casual sex and use alcohol in sexual contexts.
Longitudinal analyses provided evidence for a temporal relationship: frequent pornography use at the start of the study predicted the development of risky sexual scripts and behaviors over time. These associations persisted even after controlling for previous behaviors and beliefs, suggesting that pornography consumption plays a role in shaping sexual scripts rather than merely reflecting pre-existing tendencies.
“The main finding is that pornography serves as a source of learning by shaping the way people construe their own scripts of sexual interactions,” Krahé told PsyPost. “As with all media contents, whether the learning effects are ‘good’ or ‘bad’ depends on the content that is presented. In our case, people who watch a lot of pornography and believe it is realistic are more likely to think that it is common and ‘normal’ for sex to take place with partners one does not know, without establishing that both partners want it, and to behave accordingly in their sexual interactions.”
“Because our study asked participants at three data waves over almost two years, we can show the temporal sequence from pornography use and perceived realism to sexual scripts and sexual behavior, which comes as close to demonstrating a causal link between pornography use and perceived realism and risky sexual scripts and behavior as one can get in a non-experimental study.”
Surprisingly, the researchers did not find a significant interaction between the frequency of pornography use and the perceived realism of pornography in predicting risky sexual scripts and behaviors. While both factors were independently associated with risky sexual outcomes, their interaction did not significantly enhance the predictive value of the models.
“We had hypothesized that the frequency of pornography use and the perceived realism of pornography would interact (work together) such that the same frequency of pornography use would be linked more closely to sexual scripts and sexual behavior the more participants considered pornography to present a realistic portrayal of sexual interactions,” Krahé said. “This hypothesis was not supported by our data. Instead, we found that frequency of use and perceived realism worked independently.”
Interestingly, the role of perceived realism varied by gender. Men who perceived pornography as more realistic were more likely to adopt risky sexual scripts and behaviors, supporting the idea that realism enhances the influence of media on attitudes and actions. For women, the relationship was less straightforward. While frequent pornography use still predicted risky behaviors, perceived realism had a negative association with risky sexual behaviors.
“We did not find many gender differences in the paths from pornography to sexual scripts and behavior, although men used pornography significantly more and considered it to be significantly more realistic,” Krahé said. “The only gender differences we found were that greater perceived realism of pornography predicted more risky sexual scripts for men, but not for women, and that the path from perceived realism to more risky sexual behavior was positive for men and negative for women.”
The study also demonstrated the interdependence of sexual scripts and behaviors. Risky sexual scripts predicted risky sexual behaviors at later time points, and these behaviors, in turn, reinforced the scripts, creating a feedback loop. For example, individuals who endorsed casual sex as part of their sexual scripts were more likely to engage in such behaviors, which then reinforced their belief in the appropriateness of these behaviors. This dynamic underscores the importance of addressing both mental representations and behaviors in interventions aimed at reducing risky sexual practices.
As with all research, there are some limitations. The sample consisted solely of university students from Berlin and Brandenburg, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other populations or cultural contexts. Students tend to be younger, more educated, and have access to different types of media compared to the general population, which could influence the results.
The study contributes to a broader research initiative aimed at understanding the factors underlying sexual competence and addressing the causes and prevention of sexual aggression and victimization.
“With this study, we worked our way backwards through a causal model of sexual aggression perpetration and victimization we proposed,” Krahé explained. “We started this program of research by studying the prevalence of sexual aggression perpetration and victimization among young adults. The next step asked what the role of cognitive representations of consensual sex was for understanding sexual aggression, and then – in this study – asked where the contents of the sexual scripts for consensual sex come from.”
“In another set of papers, we (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00224499.2022.2105290) tested an intervention designed to prevent sexual aggression perpetration and victimization through a theory-based program that focused on changing risky sexual scripts and risky sexual behavior (“risky” always defined in relation to sexual aggression). Although our intervention ((https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/kiss-up/kompetenzinsexuellensituationen) see here) contained a module designed to reduce the perception of pornography as realistic, that module was not successful in achieving this goal, so we need to revise and improve it.”
The study, “(https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/ppm0000553) The Role of Pornography in Shaping Young Adults’ Sexual Scripts and Sexual Behavior: A Longitudinal Study With University Students,” was authored by Barbara Krahé, Paulina Tomaszewska, and Isabell Schuster.

(https://www.psypost.org/covid-19-lockdowns-linked-to-accelerated-brain-aging-in-adolescents-particularly-in-girls/) COVID-19 lockdowns linked to accelerated brain aging in adolescents, particularly in girls
Nov 23rd 2024, 10:00

A longitudinal neuroimaging study of adolescents found that their brains underwent accelerated aging between 2018 and 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. This was evidenced by increased thinning of the cortex region of the brain in these individuals. On average, brains of girls aged an additional 4.2 years during this period, while brains of boys aged an additional 1.4 years. These findings were published in the (https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2403200121) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and shed light on the potential neurological impact of prolonged social isolation and stress during the pandemic.
Brain age refers to the biological condition of the brain, which can differ from an individual’s chronological age. Advanced neuroimaging techniques such as MRI, EEG, or PET scans, combined with machine learning algorithms, are used to assess brain age by analyzing structural, functional, and connectivity patterns in the brain. Key factors such as gray matter volume, cortical thickness, and white matter integrity are measured to estimate brain age. When brain age surpasses chronological age, it may indicate heightened risks for cognitive decline, mental health issues, or neurological conditions.
Cortical thinning, the gradual reduction in the thickness of the brain’s outer layer, is a normal part of adolescent brain development. It reflects processes like synaptic pruning and myelination, which fine-tune the brain for more efficient functioning. However, this process can accelerate under adverse conditions, including chronic stress, sleep deprivation, poor diet, and medical issues like hypertension or diabetes. Accelerated cortical thinning is associated with greater vulnerability to neuropsychiatric disorders, including anxiety and depression, especially during adolescence.
The study, led by Neva M. Corrigan of the University of Washington, aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns on adolescent brain structure and aging. Governments worldwide implemented lockdown measures in 2020 and 2021 to mitigate the spread of the virus. These restrictions disrupted everyday life, forcing individuals to stay at home and limit social interactions. For adolescents, a developmental stage heavily reliant on peer relationships and social experiences, this isolation likely introduced significant stress.
The study recruited 87 adolescents, aged 9–17, who underwent MRI brain scans in 2018 as part of an earlier project on typical brain development. These participants returned for follow-up scans three years later, in late 2021 and early 2022. The researchers compared changes in cortical thickness over this period against statistical models predicting normal aging patterns based on the pre-pandemic data.
The results showed that participants experienced faster cortical thinning than expected over the three years. In boys, the additional thinning corresponded to 1.4 years of accelerated brain aging. Girls, however, exhibited a more pronounced acceleration, with their brains showing an additional 4.2 years of aging.
The thinning in girls’ brains was widespread, affecting multiple regions across both hemispheres and lobes, including areas critical for social and emotional processing, such as the fusiform gyrus and superior temporal cortex. In boys, the thinning was more localized, primarily affecting the visual processing regions. The disparity may be linked to the heightened reliance of adolescent girls on peer relationships for emotional support, which was disrupted during the lockdowns.
“In summary, the findings of the present study suggest that the lifestyle changes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns resulted in a deviation from the normal pattern of cortical thinning during adolescent development and that the effects were more dramatic in females than in males. As accelerated cortical thinning during brain development is associated with increased risk in the development of neuropsychiatric and behavioral disorders, the findings from this study highlight the importance of providing ongoing monitoring and support to adolescents who experienced the pandemic lockdowns,” the study authors concluded.
The study makes an important contribution to the scientific understanding of possible repercussions of the COVID-19 lockdowns. However, it should be noted that the observational design of the study does not allow for cause-and-effect conclusions. The accelerated cortical thinning observed may have been influenced by factors beyond the lockdowns, such as individual differences in stress levels, family dynamics, or pre-existing conditions.
Additionally, the sample size was relatively small, limiting the generalizability of the findings. Behavioral data, such as detailed assessments of participants’ stress levels, sleep patterns, and physical activity during the lockdowns, were not collected. These measures could provide valuable insights into the specific factors driving accelerated brain aging. Future studies with larger, more diverse samples and comprehensive data collection are needed to build on these findings.
The paper, “(https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2403200121) COVID-19 lockdown effects on adolescent brain structure suggest accelerated maturation that is more pronounced in females than in males,” was authored by Neva M. Corrigan, Ariel Rokem, and Patricia K. Kuhl.

Forwarded by:
Michael Reeder LCPC
Baltimore, MD

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