{"id":29059,"date":"2025-09-05T16:02:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T16:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=29059"},"modified":"2025-09-05T16:02:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T16:02:13","slug":"brief-social-isolation-can-trigger-reward-seeking-behavior-in-adolescents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/brief-social-isolation-can-trigger-reward-seeking-behavior-in-adolescents\/","title":{"rendered":"Brief Social Isolation Can Trigger &#8216;Reward-Seeking&#8217; Behavior in Adolescents"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">A University of Cambridge-led study reveals that short periods of social isolation significantly increase reward-seeking behavior in adolescents. Loneliness heightened the drive to reconnect socially or seek alternative rewards, highlighting the need for understanding and supporting teen mental health.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b0ffac9c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A new study led by the University of Cambridge has unveiled a striking impact of short-term social isolation on adolescents, sparking heightened motivation to seek rewards. These findings are crucial, given the complex interplay between social media, loneliness and teen behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The research demonstrates that young individuals, particularly those in their late teens, display pronounced sensitivity to brief periods of social isolation, showing an increased drive to pursue various rewards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Such behavior, according to first author Livia Tomova, is a direct consequence of feeling lonely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Our study demonstrates just how sensitive young people are to very short periods of isolation,&#8221; Tomova, who conducted this research while at the University of Cambridge and is now based at the University of Cardiff, said in a news release. &#8220;We found that loneliness significantly increases adolescents\u2019 motivation to seek out rewards \u2013 whether that\u2019s more social contact, money, or something else.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This study, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s44271-025-00306-6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in Communications Psychology, highlights how brief isolation can prompt teenagers to seek social interaction more avidly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, in situations where social opportunities are scarce, this heightened drive could potentially lead to riskier behaviors, such as the pursuit of alcohol or drugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notably, the researchers observed that loneliness among teens has doubled globally over the past decade. Various societal changes, including the complex role of social media, are suspected to contribute to this trend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Social media can lead to loneliness in some adolescents, but our study suggests that this relationship is complex,&#8221; added senior author Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, a professor of psychology at the University of Cambridge. &#8220;Virtual interaction with others seems to make isolated teens less driven to seek external rewards, compared to when they are isolated without access to social media. That suggests social media might reduce some of the negative effects of isolation \u2013 but of course we don\u2019t know what potentially harmful effects it might have at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the study, 40 adolescents aged 16-19 from Cambridge, the UK, with no history of mental health problems and average levels of loneliness, participated in a series of tasks pre- and post-isolation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They spent between three to four hours alone, with one session allowing access to social media and another without any form of virtual interaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The revelation that virtual interaction mitigated the increase in reward-seeking behavior underscores the nuanced role of social media in teen lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During isolation, nearly half the participants used platforms like Snapchat, Instagram and WhatsApp to maintain social contact, which helped reduce feelings of loneliness yet did not prevent the decline in overall positive mood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, this research provides a pivotal understanding of how short-term loneliness can alter adolescent behavior, emphasizing the critical need for strategies to support teen mental health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:16px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cam.ac.uk\/research\/news\/teen-loneliness-triggers-reward-seeking-behaviour\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">University of Cambridge<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A new study led by the University of Cambridge has unveiled a striking impact of short-term social isolation on adolescents, sparking heightened motivation to seek rewards. These findings are crucial, given the complex interplay between social media, loneliness and teen behavior. The research demonstrates that young individuals, particularly those in their late teens, display pronounced [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[188],"class_list":["post-29059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-people-culture","tag-university-of-cambridge"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"A new study led by the University of Cambridge has unveiled a striking impact of short-term social isolation on adolescents, sparking heightened motivation to seek rewards. These findings are crucial, given the complex interplay between social media, loneliness and teen behavior. The research demonstrates that young individuals, particularly those in their late teens, display pronounced&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29059"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29059\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29112,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29059\/revisions\/29112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}