Loneliness can have adverse effects from a psychological point of view, but it can also harm individuals' physical health, including the cardiovascular, immune, and nervous systems. It can induce psychological changes such as loneliness due to the lack of social alternatives, particularly in small teams. Long-term social isolation has holistic effects. Within this theoretical framework, we will present a study included in the LUNARK project, which allowed us to monitor two space architects’ changes over time regarding some critical psychological constructs related to the perception of being isolated during a simulated mission in a confined and extreme environment. We will then consider what previous space psychology literature has revealed on social isolation, mental health, and well-being. We will first review the social psychology literature on social isolation to highlight a gap related to understanding the experiences of individuals who undertake missions that require social isolation. This paper will illustrate the LUNARK project ( ), the first attempt to design and test a Moon analog habitat in the Arctic, which provided us with a unique context to investigate the psychological mechanisms triggered by social isolation in an ecologically valid setting and over time. Given the universal human need for belonging, how do individuals psychologically react to the stressors of long-term experiences of social disconnection that characterize a space mission? This latter factor is the main focus of this work. Several authors have highlighted the possible stressors associated with a mission in an extreme environment, such as working under stress, physical discomfort and physical changes, and long-term social isolation. With the widening of space actors involved, more studies are needed to focus on the mental consequences of participating in a long-duration mission in an extreme and confined environment and how to promote psychological adaptation and well-being besides monitoring and fostering physical health during the mission. In addition, several government agencies (e.g., in China, India) are joining the space travel race, and several private companies and space entrepreneurs are turning their attention to this possibility, which brings about new challenges. NASA has planned the human return to the Moon in 2024 with the Artemis III mission. With the opening to the private market, space travel will likely become more frequent in the next few decades. We discussed these results referring to research on the consequences of long-term social isolation in extreme human expeditions and social psychological models of social isolation. Finally, engaging in leisure activities increased the perceived speed of time. Talking about personal matters and leisure time were associated with a decrease in resignation, whereas talking about personal topics and physical exercising increased the desire for social contact. Moreover, the protective role of specific daily activities emerged. First, our results showed that, for either space architect, desire for social contact increased over time, whereas feelings of resignation did not. The two crew members independently filled out a time-based diary with self-report measures on their daily activities and negative emotions, feelings of loneliness, resignation, desire for social contact, and time perception. Two space architects took part in a 61-day mission in Northern Greenland to simulate human life conditions in the habitat as a prototype of a human settlement on the Moon. This study focuses on the relationship between time spent in specific activities (e.g., talking about personal matters) and the social-psychological effects of social isolation and confinement as a part of the LUNARK project, which was aimed at building and testing the first Moon analog habitat. Social isolation is among one of the best-known risk factors in these environments. Knowledge about the social-psychological aspects of individuals’ experiences of confinement within habitats in space missions or extreme environments is also rapidly expanding. Research to address the technical challenges of human missions into space is growing.
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