{
  "id": 124490,
  "title": "People who feel lonely show altered brain activity when processing internal physical signals",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/people-who-feel-lonely-show-altered-brain-activity-when-processing",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-04T10:00:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PsyPost",
    "slug": "psypost",
    "url": "https://www.psypost.org/people-who-feel-lonely-show-altered-brain-activity-when-processing-internal-physical-signals/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "A recent study published in Biological Psychology suggests that loneliness is linked to altered brain activity when processing internal physical signals, such as heartbeats. The research, conducted by Kentaro Ono, an assistant professor at the Center for Brain, Mind, and KANSEI Sciences Research at Hiroshima University, indicates that individuals who report higher levels of loneliness show reduced brain activity related to monitoring their heartbeats. This physiological perspective on loneliness aligns with the hypervigilance model, which posits that lonely individuals are more sensitive to social rejection and stress, leading to heightened emotional distress. The study's findings could provide valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms of loneliness and its connection to psychiatric disorders, highlighting the importance of interoception—the perception of internal bodily states—in emotion regulation.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}