心理學家艾米·沙利文 (Amy Sullivan) 也有類似的研究，她說：“當你感到孤獨時，你的皮質醇（一種壓力荷爾蒙）水平會上升，皮質醇會損害認知能力，損害免疫系統，並增加患血管問題、炎癥和心臟病的風險。”

你看過湯姆漢克斯演的浩劫重生 (Cast Away)這部電影嗎？當他一個中在荒島時他將檢獲的排球當作一個朋友，每天與排球對話，這使得他能夠獨自在荒島生活，哪怕這個朋友是想象出來的，都能夠給他活下去的動力。

​

世界首富，特斯拉老板Elon Musk 的一次采訪說過：
 

Musk shakes his head and grimaces: “If I’m not in love, if I’m not with a long-term companion, I cannot be happy.”
 

I explain that needing someone so badly that you feel like nothing without them is textbook codependence.

Musk disagrees. Strongly. “It’s not true,” he replies petulantly. “I will never be happy without having someone. Going to sleep alone kills me.” He hesitates, shakes his head, falters, continues. “It’s not like I don’t know what that feels like: Being in a big empty house, and the footsteps echoing through the hallway, no one there – and no one on the pillow next to you. Fuck. How do you make yourself happy in a situation like that?”