Enviromental deprivation (not the climate kind)

[Nullm]

Do you think there is such a term or is it just and idea one psychologist had?
"an absence of environmental conditions that stimulate intellectual and behavioral development, such as educational, recreational, and social opportunities. Environmental deprivation is often associated with social isolation and may be so severe that it causes pseudoretardation"

 

[Manaaja]

Yes. I know a person who used to go everywhere, but once they broke their leg and became unable to drive and walk, they had to stay inside and their mental health rapidly declined.

I've also noticed the same thing in myself. When I go out or do different things, my mind often works better.

I also had a grandpa who stayed alone in a nursing home. When we went to meet him, he often could barely talk on the first day of the visit, but on the second and third day his brain worked much better and he was able to have conversations.

As a person who wants to be alone, I wish it was good for brain to stay inside and just play video games all day long.

 

[Foresight]

I think being a recluse is ruining my eyesight. I never look out far. I don't know, maybe not. It definitely impacts health.

 

[myopybyproxy]

it's 100% a thing. in rat studies, those in small cages with fewer toys had poorer outcomes than rats in 'enriched' environments. in young humans, even if their nutritional and other basic physiological needs are met, things like lack of reading material or intellectual stimulation, peers at a similar or higher level with whom to converse, variety in stimuli etc can lead to a lower IQ.

if it is severe and prolonged enough, the person can become permanently damaged - as in the case of genie. but there are some confounding factors such as her physical abuse / lack of proper nutrition as well, and possibly lower than average IQ from birth (intellect is after all an 80% heritable trait, and her parents were certainly not the brightest, judging by their actions). the 20% is influenced by factors such as environment deprivation, peer pressure or conformation to social group norms, the method of testing and who is administering the test, the amount of sleep had the night prior to the test (and lifelong, probably, but that would be under physical deprivation alongside inadequate nutrition rather than purely environmental) - to name a few.

if it only begins in adulthood (eg lockdown / quarantine), not sure what impact that has - but surely not a good thing for mental state regardless of the long term damage done at the cellular level.