The lab aims to understand how people's social relationships influence their wellbeing. We use this information to design and test interventions to improve wellbeing in individuals and communities. 

Humans are social animals and therefore the nature of people’s social networks  is a key factor in their life satisfaction and sense of wellbeing. The lab examines the characteristics of people’s social networks (the quality, type and number of social ties) and how this influences  their wellbeing. We also study how both social networks and wellbeing are affected by the use of social media. 

We use this knowledge to design and evaluate interventions to improve social connection and wellbeing. This body of research supports UN Sustainable Development Goal 3, ensuring health lives and promoting wellbeing for all.

Like humans, primates also maintain a complex network of different types of social relationships. We study how wild chimpanzees and bonobos use different types of communication to manage these relationships, with a specific focus on gestural communication. This research provides insights into the evolution of sociality and language in humans, as well as how ecology influences social networks, which is important informing conservation efforts. This research is aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goal 15, to prevent the extinction of threatened species.

The Networks and Wellbeing Lab is based in the School of Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University, UK. 

Photo credit:   Kimson Doan on Unsplash