Why Do I Push People Away? | MindLAB Neuroscience

Why Do I Push People Away? The Neuroscience of Withdrawal You push people away because the oxytocin and dopamine circuits that pull humans toward connection have been blunted, not because something is wrong with how you feel. Chronic loneliness rewires the trust circuits in the insula, downregulates oxytocin signaling, and dampens the VTA’s social-craving response. ...

May 5, 2026 · 16 min · 3287 words · Dr. Sydney Ceruto