Do you think you can stand being in an isolated room without light for a whole month? Professional poker player Rich Alati bet $ 100,000 on the fact that he can do it all - he easily agreed to live 30 days in a dark room with nothing but a bed, refrigerator and toilet. Scientists have already known that with prolonged isolation, a person begins to sleep worse, see hallucinations and experience other side effects. Rich Alati was convinced of this from his own experience.
The main reason for Rich's ailments was the lack of daylight. The fact is that the hormone melatonin, which is responsible for the regulation of sleep cycles, is directly dependent on light, and its absence greatly affects health. Specifically, light lowers melatonin levels and helps people feel energized throughout the day. In the evening, when darkness falls, the concentration of melatonin rises, and a person can get plenty of rest.
Sleep disturbance leads to other problems - depression and fatigue. These, in turn, increase the risk of cancer and can lead to obesity and premature aging. It has also been observed that in an isolated environment, brain activity is greatly reduced, which leads to the occurrence of hallucinations. Rich Alachi admitted that already on the third day of his stay in the room, it began to seem to him that the ceiling had disappeared, and there was a starry sky above his head.
Other people who have been completely alone have noted other changes in their mental and physical states. For example, an Australian woman who was in captivity for eight years, Natasha Kampusch, noted in her biography that the lack of light and contact with people weakened her mind. According to her, she became so helpless that she carried out any orders of the kidnapper.
The severity of isolation is also felt by researchers working in Antarctica - they say loneliness is the hardest part of their job. The Israeli adventurer Yossi Ginsberg, who lived in the Amazon for several weeks, admitted that he had to invent imaginary friends for himself.
As for Rich Alachi, he couldn't last a month. After 20 agonizing days, he asked to be released outside to finally see the sunlight. Fortunately, he was not left with anything - $ 62,400 was returned to him. He also received something more - he noted that this difficult experience showed him the value of family and friends.
You probably have something to say about this experiment - feel free to write your thoughts in the comments.
Promotional video:
Ramis Ganiev
