Our research seeks to understand loneliness as a subjective and relational experience shaped by social identities. Drawing on social identity theory, we use mixed methods, (including ethnography, interviews, surveys and online data capture) to examine how group identities structure belonging, meaning, and social recognition in real world settings. In particular, we work closely with local communities to understand how local place-based identities structure connectedness, isolation and loneliness in everyday contexts.

In addition to these community-based and psychological approaches, our work also incorporates cutting-edge social neuroscience. We use a “Real-World Paradigm” that combines naturalistic social interactions with neuroimaging methods such as fMRI to investigate how social identity, loneliness, and interpersonal connection are represented in the brain.

Our work to date shows that groups are fundamental to the experience and the reduction of loneliness in a variety of ways:

• group identities shape expectations of social relationships and identification with valued groups can protect against loneliness;
• identity loss or discontinuity can leave members vulnerable to loneliness;
• group-based social exclusion, or marginalisation can intensify experiences of loneliness across different life contexts;
• group-based interventions can reduce loneliness, if appropriately tailored to the needs of different groups.

See PUBLICATIONS for our recent papers.

This work has been conducted through a series of inter-related programmes of research into the experience of loneliness among different social groups and the efficacy of loneliness reduction:

• Addressing Eating Disorders through Social Connection: The REConnectED Programme (£253K, MRC). Mar 2026 – Aug 2027. PI: Dr Niamh McNamara; CoIs Prof Clifford Stevenson, Prof Dan Frings.
  REConnectED is a novel peer‑supported online group intervention designed to improve recovery for adults recently discharged from eating disorder treatment – a period marked by high relapse risk and limited psychosocial support. Grounded in the Social Identity Approach to Health, the programme helps participants rebuild social connections, strengthen recovery‑supportive identities, and reduce loneliness. This 18‑month Medical Research Council‑funded feasibility study will test delivery across NHS and voluntary‑sector settings in England and Ireland, assessing recruitment, retention, acceptability, and implementation. Findings will de‑risk future development and inform a definitive evaluation, supporting the integration of scalable peer‑delivered support into care pathways.
• Social Implementation of Community Sheds Rooted in Mutual and Community Support, and the Elucidation of Mechanisms for Preventing Loneliness and Social Isolation (10m JPY, Tohoku University SOKAP-Connect Projects). Feb 2026 – Mar 2029. PI: Dr Ayahito Ito; CIs of Tohoku University: Prof Clifford Stevenson; Prof Shunji Mugikura; Dr Masakazu Motoki; Dr Saori Kubo; Dr Ryuta Onishi.
  Community Sheds are self-organized community spaces autonomously run by older adults, offering a place for activities such as woodworking, gardening, and socialising. Originating in Australia, the movement has grown to over 3,500 Sheds and 100,000 participants worldwide and is gaining international attention as an innovative, identity-based approach to preventing loneliness and social isolation. Although the benefits of Sheds are increasingly recognized in countries such as the UK and Australia, the movement in Japan remains in its early stages. This SOKAP-Connect project aims to (a) advance the social implementation of Community Sheds in Japan by embedding them within existing frameworks of mutual aid and community support, (b) evaluate the effectiveness of Shed participation in reducing loneliness and social isolation, and (c) strengthen international research collaborations to build the cross-cultural evidence base needed to promote Community Shed initiatives globally.
• International Research Hub for Community-Based Loneliness and Social Isolation Prevention (20m JPY, JSPS the Promotion of Joint International Research (International Collaborative Research)). Sep 2024 – Mar 2029. PI: Dr Ayahito Ito; CIs: Prof Clifford Stevenson; Prof Tasuku Igarashi; Dr Shogo Kajimura; Dr Toshiyuki Himichi; Dr Risa Takashima.
  Community Sheds are self-organized community spaces autonomously run by older adults and are gaining international attention as an innovative approach to preventing loneliness and social isolation. Although their benefits are increasingly recognized in countries such as the UK and Australia, the mechanisms underlying these effects remain unclear. This project brings together an international, multidisciplinary team to (a) deepen evidence-based understanding of loneliness and social isolation, (b) clarify how Community Sheds generate their positive outcomes, and (c) advance social identity–based approaches to preventing social isolation and loneliness.
• Developing a Cross-National Database for Comparative Research on Older Adult Communities (4m JPY, JSPS Bilateral Programs). Apr 2024 – Mar 2026. PI: Dr Ayahito Ito; CIs: Prof S. Alexander Haslam; Prof Catherine Haslam; Dr Kim Walder; Prof Tasuku Igarashi; Dr Toshiyuki Himichi; Dr Risa Takashima.
  The project aims to develop a secure, cross-national database that integrates quantitative and qualitative data from Community Sheds in Japan and Australia. Community Sheds, self-organized community spaces run autonomously by older adults, have demonstrated potential benefits for reducing loneliness and supporting wellbeing, yet little is known about how these effects vary across cultural contexts. By establishing a shared platform for quantitative and qualitative data, this project brings together Japanese and Australian researchers to (a) enable rigorous cross-cultural comparison of older adult communities, (b) identify mechanisms through which social connectedness promotes health, and (c) build the foundation for an international research consortium on community-based approaches to healthy aging.
• Development of Mothers’ Interethnic Friendships in Facilitating Programme in Helsinki, North Savonia and North Karelia (€250k, Kone Foundation). Jan 2024 – Dec 2027. PI: Prof Eerika Finell; CIs: Prof Clifford Stevenson; Prof Kevin Durrheim.
  FriendMUM aims to develop social psychological theory by providing an original multimethod longitudinal analysis of a befriending intervention for immigrant mothers in Finland. It uses advanced quantitative and qualitative longitudinal dyadic methods to investigate whether and how mothers’ reciprocal interethnic contact develops into interethnic friendship, which factors support and inhibit friendship development, and how the initiative reduces loneliness among participants.
• Citizen Support Project for Preventing Social Isolation and Loneliness (90m JPY, JST-RISTEX Preventing Social Isolation & Loneliness and Creating Diversified Social Networks). Oct 2022 – Mar 2027. PI: Dr Ayahito Ito; CIs: Prof Toshio Higashi; Dr Takashi Matsuo; Dr Risa Takashima; Prof Tasuku Igarashi; Dr Toshiyuki Himichi; Dr Aya Toyoshima.
  This project, called the “Citizen Support Project,” will (a) set up Community (men’s/women’s) Sheds and (b) test the effectiveness of Community Sheds in reducing social isolation and loneliness through developing a tool to easily visualize risks of social isolation (online social identity mapping). Community Sheds are venues set up and run by locals and their friends to arrange and engage in activities such as woodworking, gardening, and chatting. Community sheds are commonly called Men’s Sheds overseas and they originated in Australia. There are more than 3,500 sheds and 100,000 shedders (i.e., participants of community sheds) worldwide. This project sets up three Community Sheds, “Yo-Ro-Ya (寄郎屋)” and “Dan-Dan-Ya (暖男舎)” in Mizukami Village, Kumamoto Prefecture, and “Pokke-Kotan (ポッケコタン)” in Sapporo City, Hokkaido, and aims to investigate whether Community Sheds function effectively as the primary prevention of social isolation and loneliness using surveys and experiments related to psychology/brain/health. Through this project, we will propose a vision of community sheds tailored for Japanese adults, leading to the creation of a system for the primary prevention of social isolation and loneliness.
• Upscaling Inspiring Ashfield: Extending Ashfield’s Place-based Support for Social Prescribing across Mid-Notts Integrated Care Partnership. (£180k, AHRC). Feb 2022- Feb 2023. PI: Prof Clifford Stevenson; CIs:  Dr Donna Champion, Prof Di Bailey, Prof Barbara Matthews.
  This project aimed to capture the underlying mechanisms of the Inspiring Ashfield social prescribing intervention in a deprived community post-COVID19. We conducted multimethod research to demonstrate the ways in which community identification and multiple group memberships contribute to loneliness reduction in the target areas as well as how the intervention enhances these processes.
• Tackling Loneliness in Nottingham (£26k Nottinghamshire County Council). Sept-2021 – Mar 2022. PI: Dr Mhairi Bowe, CIs Prof Clifford Stevenson, Dr Juliet Wakefield, Dr Blerina Kellezi.
  The NTU Groups Identities and Health research group was commissioned to undertake a multistranded investigation of the prevalence of loneliness across Nottinghamshire during COVID-19 as well as a survey of loneliness-reduction services in the area. The work informed the Council’s Loneliness Strategy and led to the setup of the Nottingham/shire Tackling Loneliness Collaborative.
• SERVICE: Social and Emotional Resilience for the Vulnerable Impacted by the Covid-19 Emergency (£496k, UKRI) Aug 2020 – Mar 2022. PI: Prof Blaine Price (OU); CIs, Prof Clifford Stevenson (NTU), Prof Mark Levene, Dr Avelie Stuart (Exeter) Dr Dmitri Katz, Dr Mohamed Bennasar, Dr Daniel Gooch (OU).
  This interdisciplinary collaboration between social psychologists and computer scientists set out to develop a loneliness-reducing app for older adults experiencing isolation and loneliness during COVID-19. The project involves in depth interviews and usability trials with a range of older adults living in urban and rural settings which are used to inform the development of the app. When completed, the app will support social resilience and mental wellbeing among older adults living within community settings and help their carers support them more effectively.
• Understanding the transition to retirement for emergency services officers: A social identity approach (£40k, Fire Fighters Charity). Jan 2019-Dec 2020. PI: Dr Niamh McNamara; CIs: Prof Clifford Stevenson, Dr Rowena Hill, Prof Catherine Haslam, Dr Niklas Steffens, Sarah Bentley.
  This collaboration between NTU and University of Queensland examines the unique challenges facing Firefighters in their transition to retirement. In depth interviews and large-scale surveys with retired Firefighters showed that the demands of their role had served to leave them especially socially isolated in retirement, often dealing with work-related trauma. A bespoke online intervention demonstrated some initial efficacy in improving wellbeing and social planning among this cohort.