Social connectedness is the degree to which people engage and interact with others. It can occur at the individual level, emphasising the quality and quantity of connections amongst an individual with others in their social circle. It can also occur at the community level where it relates to the level of connection one has with their community.

The Social Health and Wellbeing (SHAW) Laboratory was set up to understand how loneliness, and lack of social connections, influence our health, including social, psychological, and physical health and well-being. Currently, we are evaluating the efficacy, feasibility, and accessibility of digital platforms for reducing loneliness in young people with psychosis and social anxiety disorder.

We also currently conduct projects that aim to examine the role of loneliness in online behaviors, cardiovascular health, friendship formation, and positive affect. Please see our Research page for more details on our current projects.

This program is led by Dr Michelle Lim who is supported by a team of local and international researchers. The research is jointly funded by Swinburne University of Technology and the Barbara Dicker Brain Sciences Foundation.