204. What Happens When You’re Cut Off From All Human Contact?

How is the brain affected by solitary confinement? How would you deal with being stranded on a deserted island? And do baby monkeys make the best therapists?

• SOURCES:• William Broyles Jr., screenwriter, journalism, and former U.S. Marine Corps officer.
• Beatriz Flamini, Spanish mountaineer.
• Craig Haney, professor of psychology at the University of California Santa Cruz.
• Harry Harlow, 20th-century American psychologist.
• Sarah Hepola, author.
• Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa.
• Tree Meinch, freelance writer, editor, and freediver.
• Alexander Selkirk, 18th-century Scottish privateer and Royal Navy officer.
• Cheryl Strayed, writer and podcast host.
• RESOURCES:• "The Impact of Isolation on Brain Health," by Vibol Heng, Craig Haney, and Richard Jay Smeyne (Neurobiology of Brain Disorders, 2023).
• "What Happens When Humans Are Extremely Isolated?" by Tree Meinch (Discover, 2023).
• "Spanish Climber Leaves Cave After 500 Days in Isolation," by Ciarán Giles (AP News, 2023).
• "Solitary Confinement Is Not 'Solitude': The Worst Case Scenario of Being 'Alone' in Prison," by Craig Haney (The Handbook of Solitude, 2021).
• This Tender Land, by William Kent Krueger (2019).
• Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed (2012).
• "The Real Robinson Crusoe," by Bruce Selcraig (Smithsonian Magazine, 2005).
• "Lost at Sea and Back Again," by Sarah Hepola (The Austin Chronicle, 2000).
• "Social Recovery of Monkeys Isolated for the First Year of Life: I. Rehabilitation and Therapy," by Melinda Novak and Harry Harlow (Developmental Psychology, 1975).
• EXTRAS:• "Do You Need a Hug?" by No Stupid Questions (2024).
• "What Makes a Good Gathering?" by No Stupid Questions (2024).
• "What to Do When Everything Looks Like a Catastrophe?" by No Stupid Questions (2022).
• Cast Away, film (2000).

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.