Isolation leads to more mistrust, says Swiss study

Isolation leads to more mistrust, according to a Bern study Keystone-SDA

Prolonged stays in isolated and cramped environments have a major impact on the dynamics of a group. Extreme living conditions increase loneliness, mistrust and conflict, according to an international study led by the University of Bern.

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For the study, researchers accompanied 12 members of a crew during their ten-month hibernation at the Concordia research station in Antarctica, the University of Bern announced on Monday. The station is located at an altitude of over 3,000 metres, where temperatures can drop to -80°C.

In the press release, author Sebastian Walther described the remoteness of Concordia as even greater than that of the International Space Station. The professor initiated the project together with researchers from the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Bern.

Distrust instead of cohesion

The participants completed questionnaires at four points in time and wore sensors that recorded their physical proximity to other people. This revealed that loneliness, conflicts and paranoid thoughts increased over the course of the mission, while team cohesion and subjectively perceived performance decreased.

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The sensor data also showed that more frequent and longer physical proximity did not lead to more cohesion, but to more conflict and mistrust. Furthermore, the crew split along national lines over time: French and Italian members spent more time among themselves, which increased the risk of polarisation and tension.

According to the press release, the results are relevant for organisations that deploy teams in isolated environments for long periods. However, further crews and studies are needed to derive robust recommendations for aerospace, military or industrial organisations. The study was published in the scientific journal PNAS.

Adapted from German by AI/ts

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