Blog – Psynoord – Psynoord Psychotherapie

It's 11 PM, and instead of calling someone, she opens the chat. The AI responds instantly, without judgment, without fatigue. For a moment, the loneliness seems smaller. But has it really diminished — or was it just postponed?

Quick relief, a bond that doesn't replace.

Research from MIT Media Lab and OpenAI, applied to millions of interactions with ChatGPT, found a pattern: the more frequent the daily use of the chatbot, the greater the reported loneliness and the lower the pursuit of real social interaction. A Stanford study (Nature Human Behaviour, 2026) pointed in the same direction: among users of companion AI with a smaller offline social network, those who opened up emotionally to the AI the most reported lower well-being.

Why this happens

Conversation with AI is easy, always available, and never demands anything back — and it is precisely this absence of reciprocity that sets it apart from a human bond. When it replaces the effort of maintaining real relationships, the person loses practice in seeking connection — and the underlying loneliness isn't resolved, only postponed.

How to use it without letting it become a substitute
— Venting to AI at night isn't the problem — it's when it becomes the only place where you vent.
— Notice whether the first call of the day is to a human or to a chat.
— Keep at least one flesh-and-blood person to tell what you're feeling, even if it's once a week.
— The test question: "did I choose to talk to the AI, or did I avoid talking to someone?"

There's no problem with talking to AI. The care is not letting it take the place that only a human bond can fill. At PsyNoord, we help those who feel this kind of loneliness rebuild real connections, with professional support. Fill out our contact form.

✦ Content created with the support of artificial intelligence.

Talking to AI eases loneliness — or does it just delay it?

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Talking to AI eases loneliness — or does it just delay it?

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