Relationships to Executive Functioning, Theory of Mind, and Autobiographical Memory
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Social isolation doesn't just hurt feelings — new research reveals it quietly erodes the cognitive machinery we use to read other minds and remember who we are.
Theory of MindExecutive FunctioningAutobiographical MemorySocial Baseline Theory
Theory Briefing
- Isolation was more strongly linked to cognitive Theory of Mind in younger adults, suggesting age shapes vulnerability differently.
- Executive functioning — the brain's control system — emerges as a key bridge between social disconnection and mental decline.
- Autobiographical memory, how we narrate our own lives, also shows measurable links to isolation, threading identity into the equation.