Page 295 - Total War on PTSD

the most rudimentary and mundane tasks of our lives such as public transportation and getting our groceries to the most intimate of companionships sought in aromatic relationships. From an evolutionary perspective, our inclination to seek closeness with others has been entrenched into our nature by evolutionary processes spanning from prehistoric times, when men had to hunt together, to modern times, when social media reigns. The fact is, that for most of us, being alone makes it that much harder to face the adversities of this world. Therefore, “sticking together” and fostering benevolent social relationships emerge as imperative for our survival as a species (Holt-Lunstad, 2018).
Stemming from this fundamental aspect of human nature are several togetherness- promoting mechanisms, the most conspicuous of which is our proneness to feel lonely when social ties dwindle (J. T. Cacioppo & Cacioppo, 2018; J. T. Cacioppo & Patrick, 2008). From an evolutionary perspective, loneliness is viewed as an internal signal that there is need for to remedy social compromise. This works much like the manner in which thirst and hunger operate as internal signals that the body needs liquids or more substantial nourishment. It is this view of loneliness and social relationships that has led to the bourgeoning field of social neuroscience. Indeed, social neuroscientists have conducted voluminous amounts of research indicating that loneliness, if not attended to, may not only lead to extremely detrimental outcomes, including hindered well-being, poor mental and physical health and even premature death (J. T. Cacioppo & Cacioppo, 2018; S. Cacioppo, Grippo, London, Goossens, & Cacioppo, 2015); but may be embedded into various physiological systems (J. T. Cacioppo, Cacioppo, Capitanio, & Cole, 2015; S. Cacioppo, Capitanio, & Cacioppo, 2014).
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