Psychologist looks at the impacts of social isolation and the shared truth of our experience
Before 2020, most people thought of social isolation in fairly narrow terms: adolescent disconnection, the loneliness of living alone, or that particular feeling of being surrounded by a crowd and still unable to locate your friends. It was a term we recognised without ever expecting to experience collectively. Then Melbourne became the most locked-down city in the world, and the psychological toll began to accumulate in ways that were both deeply personal and, as it turned out, remarkably shared.
What the research told us early on
Earlier in 2020, the Department of Psychological Medicine at King's College London reviewed 24 published papers on the psychological effects of quarantine. The findings were striking. In previous quarantine situations such as the SARS outbreak, people began reporting significant symptoms within just nine days of isolation. These included exhaustion, detachment from others, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, poor concentration and indecisiveness, deteriorating work performance, and a reluctance to continue working at all. Individuals with a prior history of psychiatric illness were more likely to experience heightened anxiety and anger during isolation, though the research noted this varied considerably based on age, gender, and economic circumstances. The pattern was consistent enough to be concerning, and consistent enough to be recognisable.
What a psychologist heard during the lockdowns
As a psychologist during COVID-19, the repetition in what people reported was both striking and, at times, saddening. Speaking with six people in a day, all isolating in some form or another, and finding that four or five of them described one or more of the same cluster of symptoms, illustrated something important: we were all being affected by the same conditions in remarkably similar ways. This is relevant to how we understand why social isolation is so toxic for the brain, and why the effects were so widespread and consistent across very different kinds of people.
What this reveals about our shared humanity
The most meaningful thing to emerge from this period was not the list of symptoms but what those symptoms pointed to. We all need connection. We all need freedom of choice, stimulation, variety, affection and touch, adventure, and meaning. These are not preferences; they are fundamental human requirements. And when they are systematically removed, we all suffer in recognisably similar ways. For a society that often emphasises individual difference and personal resilience, the pandemic offered an unexpected reminder that we are much more alike than we are different. The experience of isolation showed us our common vulnerabilities, which is also a way of showing us what connects us. You can read more about how disconnection affects us at a deeper level and why belonging is not optional.
Final thoughts
As the doors open and social life gradually reassembles itself, it is worth carrying forward what the pandemic revealed: that our shared suffering points to shared needs, and that those needs are what make us human. If you have found the social reconnection more difficult than you expected, or if the isolation left marks that have not fully lifted, our team at Contemporary Psychology in St Kilda is here to help.