Effects of Loneliness

Jasmyne Scott

Mrs.Bauman

2A

May 31, 2019

 Effects of Loneliness

¨Loneliness acts as a fertilizer for other diseases. The biology of loneliness can accelerate

the buildup of plaque in arteries, help cancer cells grow and spread, and promote inflammation in

the brain leading to Alzheimerś disease. Loneliness promotes several different types of wear and

tear on the body”(Cole 1). Isolation has negative effects on one's physical and mental health.

Lord of The Flies​, a book written by William Golding, exhibits the effects of social isolation.

Lord of The Flies ​is a book about a group of boys who are trapped on an island try to survive but

they end up going crazy in the process.

Social isolation affects a person's physical health. In ​Alone in the Crowd​,¨ loneliness may

raise levels of stress, say, or impede sleep, and in turn harm the body¨(Alone in the Crowd). In

Lord of The Flies​, the kids are ¨starting to doubt what is real and what is not because of being

isolated for a long period of time¨(Golding 80). Simon was “seeing” a pig's head on a stick and

falls into a trance. In addition, ¨ a former surgeon said the chance of health problems or smoking

is increasing because of loneliness¨(Alone in the Crowd). In ​Lord of The Flies​, Ralph starts

feeling hopeless and alone because of the tribe he encounters(Golding 182). The tribe Ralph

encounters is body-painted warrior-boys. This shows the physical tolls the characters encounter

because of isolation.

Furthermore, mental health changes due to isolation.¨… People who have more contacts

seem to have better mental health¨(“Warning: Living Alone”). In ​Lord of the Flies​, the boys are

becoming desensitized and inhumane(Golding 69). A study defined isolation as the ¨state of
estrangement, in which social connections are limited or absent¨(Timothy Matthews). Ralph felt

like the ocean was a barrier; he saw no escape from the island and feels isolated (Golding 110).

This reveals how the characters psyche is negatively affected. This impacts how the kids felt

trapped and they felt as if they could not escape the island.

The mind can be altered because of social isolation. Seclusion can change one's physical

health and their mentality. This should matter because isolation causes negative effects. Authors

put their characters through this to reveal that social isolation is a major problem.
 Works Cited

¨Alone in the crowd; loneliness¨. Gale. 2018. 21 May. 2019. <https:

//link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A552311597/GPS?U=vbcpssid=GPSlxid=7167c1d3>.

Matthews, Timothy. PMC. US National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health. 21

May. 2019. <​https://www.ncbi.nim.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4819590/

¨Warning: Living Alone May Be Hazardous to your Health.¨ Smithsonian.com. 2013. 20 May.

<https:​www.smithsonianmag.com.science-nature/warning-living-alone-may-be-hazardou

s-to-your-health-8795790/

William Golding. Lord of the Flies. United Kingdom, Faber and Faber, 17 September 1954