Testing a New Conditioning Method to Reduce Loneliness in Adults

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying a new 6-session conditioning approach to understand how it may affect feelings of loneliness, mood, depressive symptoms, and related brain activity in adults who feel lonely. The study aims to explore changes in social and emotional processing and brain patterns linked to loneliness by comparing two different intervention methods. Participants will first complete an online loneliness questionnaire and further screening. Eligible adults will be randomly assigned to one of two groups one group will experience social images paired with positive stimuli, while the other group will see social images paired with neutral stimuli. The intervention includes a pre-conditioning phase, six conditioning sessions over three weeks, and a post-conditioning phase where participants rate the emotional value of images. Throughout the study, participants will complete tests and questionnaires on loneliness, mood, and depressive symptoms at baseline, immediately after the sessions, and three months later. Resting-state brain scans using a 3T MRI will also be conducted at these times. Researchers will monitor social motivation, emotional responses to stimuli, and brain activation patterns, as well as daily loneliness over about four months. The total study period includes initial assessments, intervention, and long-term follow-up.

A Novel Conditioning Approach to Counter Loneliness in Adults