This course teaches students how to connect with older adults to forge intergenerational bonds and help alleviate loneliness and isolation

Social isolation and loneliness in aging adults have been linked to numerous physical and mental health ailments. Teaching students how to listen deeply to older people can lessen those effects.

Jeremy Holloway, Assistant Professor of Geriatric Education, University of North Dakota • conversation
Dec. 20, 2022 • ~7 min

Six ways to reduce loneliness this Christmas – from a psychologist

Spending Christmas by yourself can be hard but research shows there are things that should help.

Nilufar Ahmed, Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences, CPsychol, FHEA, University of Bristol • conversation
Dec. 19, 2022 • ~6 min

1 in 8 U.S. deaths from 2020 to 2021 came from COVID-19 – leaving millions of relatives reeling from distinctly difficult grief

COVID-19 deaths tend to be more unexpected and traumatic than other types of deaths. A sociologist explains the mental health burdens facing the millions who’ve lost a relative to the coronavirus.

Shawn Bauldry, Associate Professor of Sociology, Purdue University • conversation
July 11, 2022 • ~5 min

Drivers who are frustrated, distracted — and rusty

Traffic stats show that roadway deaths spiked during the pandemic. Can it be that we were not only distracted and frustrated, but also out of practice?

Alvin Powell • harvard
July 6, 2022 • ~11 min

Socially isolated people have differently wired brains and poorer cognition – new research

Socially isolated people have poorer cognition, including in memory and reaction time.

Jianfeng Feng, Professor of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University • conversation
June 16, 2022 • ~8 min

Technology is alienating people - and it's not just those who are older

Think again if you assume only older people are isolated by technology.

Julie Tinson, Professor of Marketing, University of Stirling • conversation
June 6, 2022 • ~6 min

Whether you followed lockdown rules may have been influenced by your genetics – new research

If you found the COVID pandemic affected you differently to your friends, it could be down to your DNA.

Pauline Lanting, PhD-candidate, University of Groningen • conversation
May 20, 2022 • ~5 min

Farmers are finding a new following on social media – our research suggests it could help with isolation

New research shows using social media can provide a much-needed boost to UK farmers’ wellbeing, connectedness and mental health, and even bank balances.

Bethany Robertson, Lecturer in Sociology and Social Policy, University of Leeds • conversation
April 7, 2022 • ~6 min

Clarifying the CDC's COVID-19 quarantine and isolation guidelines – an infectious disease doc looks at the latest research

The CDC’s controversial recommendation changes are based on new studies showing that most omicron transmission takes place within five days of the onset of illness.

William Petri, Professor of Medicine, University of Virginia • conversation
March 4, 2022 • ~6 min

Self-isolation doesn’t stop SARS-CoV-2 from spreading at home

Even when people self-isolate in a room at home, the virus that causes COVID-19 makes it into other rooms, researchers report.

Patti Verbanas-Rutgers • futurity
Jan. 28, 2022 • ~4 min

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