Study on researchers: Study: Long-term isolation promotes mistrust and conflict

The team of authors spent ten months studying the twelve-person crew of the French-Italian Antarctic station Concordia, which is located in one of the most remote places on earth at an altitude of around 3,200 meters. Among other things, it was about team dynamics, social interaction, mistrust and loneliness. Conclusion: “Under extreme conditions, loneliness, mistrust and conflicts increase, while cohesion and performance decrease,” writes the University of Bern, which was significantly involved.

“We measured clear paranoia in the group”

Because access is not possible during the Antarctic winter from mid-February to mid-November, the crew lived and worked in complete isolation. The twelve researchers wore sensors that recorded when they met with whom and for how long, and they filled out questionnaires multiple times.

After a few months, some team members believed that others were talking about them or watching them, reports Würzburg psychiatrist Sebastian Walther. These people assumed that the others wanted to harm them, Walther told the dpa. According to common criteria, he evaluates this as paranoia, which also exists in mild forms: “We measured clear paranoia in the expedition group. But of course this is far from a paranoid persecution mania like in severe mental illnesses.”

Important insights for long-duration space missions

And more physical proximity did not automatically have a positive effect on the Antarctic crew. “People with a lot of contacts reported more often conflicts, growing mistrust and lower performance,” summarized the University of Zurich (UZH), which was leading the study. It is conceivable that lonely people are increasingly seeking contact, but this has not offered them sufficient support.

The team sees the results as important insights for planned long-term space missions, something to the Moon and Mars, but also for other extreme working environments such as submarines and offshore platforms. “The results show how important it is to recognize social dynamics early and to provide targeted support to teams,” commented UZH co-author Jan Fehl.