Can the Human-Animal Bond Save Us From Social Isolation?

Hikikomori (Japanese for “to seclude” and “to pull back”) is a term used to describe a portion of the population in Japan since the 1970s that has withdrawn socially from the outside world. Some definitions of hikikomori define it as staying mostly in the home for more than six months and not leaving for work, school, or social events. (Saito 1998) Originally seen as a phenomenon localized to Japanese culture, the concept of hikikomori is now being acknowledged as behavior that can arise in other countries and environments. (Kato et al. 2019)

Traditionally, hikikomori were often thought of as primarily youth and adolescents. However, a growing elderly population is also beginning to fit within the criteria, with an estimated hikikomori population of more than half a million between the ages of 45 and 65 in Japan. (Japan Cabinet Office 2019)

The theorized causes of this phenomenon are varied and often complex intersections of mental health, economic, and social pressures. However, many treatments and pathways to reintegration are being explored. Many of these treatments focus on outreach and connection, finding ways to slowly draw out the hikikomori to begin to receive treatment that would allow them to connect again with social and professional lives outside the home. (Kato et al. 2019)

Source: Photo by Jose Carlos Ichiro on Unsplash

In Japan, there are many Animal Cafes where customers can pay to spend time in the presence of companion animals such as dogs, cats, and rabbits. These cafes have been cited as resources of comfort and integrated into many patrons’ stress and anxiety-relief routines. Their popularity might be an indicator of the desire for social interaction mediated by anxiety-relieving companion animals. (Robinson 2019)

While there are many educational services and outreach programs in Japan geared toward aiding social reintegration for the hikikomori, there are not many empirically studied methods to address this phenomenon. One promising treatment appearing in the literature is Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT). In one uncontrolled study in Hong Kong, animals present for job skills courses were reported to play a major role in drawing the youths to the program and retaining them throughout the intervention. (Wong et al 2019)

Social Isolation in the U.S.

In a study conducted by interviewing people over the age of 64 walking their dogs in a Chicago park, respondents described the fulfillment found through their companion animals. Participants cited physical and emotional security, and many reported not leaving the house without their companion animal.

Companion animals can be fantastic sources of anxiety and stress relief as well as motivation to go outside and interact. (Peretti 1990) Walking dogs in particular has been shown to have a significant effect on people's ability to meet new people in their neighborhood and the presence of a companion animal often provides a safe and neutral conversation starter that facilitates novel social interaction. These findings lead researchers to refer to companion animals as “conduits for getting to know people” or “social lubricants” and ways to build community and combat isolation. (Wood et al. 2015)

Perhaps utilizing the engaging and anxiety-relieving benefits of the human-animal bond can be a first step to connecting hikikomori to services and then eventually a conduit to help bring them out of isolation. With a growing population of hikikomori and its expansion into other countries and cultures, looking at the possible treatments is becoming ever more important.

Following months of quarantine due to a global pandemic, we must now consider an important question that, as of yet, does not have an answer: How will we effectively reach out to those who are pulled back and withdrawn and undo entrenched patterns of isolation?

Written by Thomas Washington in collaboration with Dr. Katherine Compitus