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Research & learning

Taking loneliness seriously.
Connection matters.

Social connection has far-reaching effects on mental, emotional, and physical health. Explore research on adult friendships, family play, peer support, and shared virtual spaces, alongside the questions we’re asking about our own work.

Explore the research What we hope to learn Our Theory of Change

A selected literature overview

What the research tells us.

Research on connection across adulthood, family life, and younger years. Explore thirteen resources, with plain-language summaries and practical connections to our work.

Reviewed September 2026
2025Review &
meta-analysis
Digital social connection Younger, middle-aged & older adults

Digital bridges to social connection: A systematic review and meta-analysis of digital interventions for loneliness and social isolation

Hansen, T., et al. · Internet Interventions, 41, 100856

This review examined 40 randomized controlled trials involving 6,062 participants, covering digital approaches to loneliness and social isolation published from 2022 onward. Studies included younger people, middle-aged adults, and older adults. Findings varied across approaches: psychological programs with social components, group activities, and robotic pets showed promise for reducing loneliness, while social-contact interventions, individual activities, and conversational robots had limited or inconsistent effects. The authors suggest that opportunities for interaction may help explain why some approaches work better than others. Many trials had methodological weaknesses and limited follow-up, leaving questions about lasting effects. The review offers useful direction for designing and evaluating purposeful online activities.

Our application: Give online gatherings a shared purpose through activities, conversation, and cooperation. As our evaluation develops, ask whether participants feel connected over time and which parts of the experience help them most.

Read the open-access review
2021Systematic
review
Gaming & friendship Adults & adolescents

Massively Multiplayer Online Games and Well-Being: A Systematic Literature Review

Raith, L., et al. · Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 698799

This review brought together 18 studies of shared online game worlds, including research with working adults, couples, and players over 55. Across the studies, researchers found associations between gaming communities and social support, friendship, and a sense of belonging. Some players described receiving encouragement about everyday problems, while others used games to maintain existing relationships or meet new people. The review also showed that the social experience depends on the relationships and interactions within a game, including whether other players are supportive. Most of the evidence was observational, offering insight into how connection develops within gaming communities rather than measuring the effects of a specific program.

Our application: Build recurring opportunities to meet familiar people through Connection Hour, festivals, and shared adventures. Give players reasons to cooperate and time to get to know one another.

Read the open-access review
2018Parent
survey
Family play Parents & families

Families that play together stay together: Investigating family bonding through video games

Wang, B., Taylor, L., & Sun, Q. · New Media & Society, 20(11), 4074–4094

In an online survey of 361 parents, researchers examined how playing video games together related to family satisfaction and closeness. Parents who reported more frequent family play also reported greater satisfaction with family life and stronger feelings of closeness. The analysis suggested that satisfaction with family relationships helped explain the association between shared gaming and closeness. Because these were parents’ reports collected through a survey, the findings describe a relationship between shared play and family connection. The study brings attention to gaming as a shared leisure activity within family life, with adults participating alongside relatives in something they can enjoy together.

Our application: Make festivals, builds, and upcoming group quests welcoming to family members playing together, with activities that give both experienced players and newcomers a way to contribute.

Read the study abstract
2017Systematic
review
Intergenerational play Families & generations

Benefits and Factors Influencing the Design of Intergenerational Digital Games: A Systematic Literature Review

De la Hera, T., Loos, E., Simons, M., & Blom, J. · Societies, 7(3), 18

This review examined 16 studies of digital games played across generations, including parents, grandparents, children, and younger adults. The studies explored how shared play could encourage family connection, learning from one another, and greater understanding between age groups. Games often supplied a common goal or an easy starting point for conversation, including for relatives living apart. Much of the research used small, exploratory studies, with findings that emphasized how the activity was designed and experienced. Differences in skill, confidence, and motivation mattered: successful opportunities for interaction gave people ways to help each other and recognize the knowledge each person brought to the game.

Our application: Design shared activities with several useful roles. Invite players to teach, encourage, and learn from one another, with time to explain the game and adjust to different comfort levels.

Read the open-access review
2015Qualitative
interviews
Gaming & accessibility Autistic adults

Video games from the perspective of adults with autism spectrum disorder

Mazurek, M. O., Engelhardt, C. R., & Clark, K. E. · Computers in Human Behavior, 51, 122–130

Researchers interviewed 58 autistic adults about why they played video games, what they enjoyed, and what made the experience less enjoyable. Participants described social connection and relief from stress among their reasons for playing, alongside immersion, achievement, creativity, and interest in stories. They also discussed difficulties such as negative interactions with other players, spending more time gaming than intended, and features of game design they disliked. These interviews center adults’ own accounts of their leisure experiences. They show a range of preferences and motivations, making a case for listening to individual players when creating activities and welcoming spaces.

Our application: Offer choices in activities, pace, and communication. Let players help shape the community, and treat creative play, quiet participation, and social time as valuable ways to take part.

Read the study abstract
2016Online
survey
Gaming & friendship Older adults

Older Adults’ Social Interactions in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs)

Zhang, F., & Kaufman, D. · Games and Culture, 11(1–2), 150–169

This study surveyed older World of Warcraft players about their play habits, relationships, and challenges in an online game world. Respondents described using the game to stay connected with family and existing friends, as well as to build supportive relationships with people they met while playing. Their interactions ranged from casual companionship to closer friendships, and their reasons for playing included social time, accomplishment, and immersion. The authors describe the potential for a familiar game world to serve as a regular gathering place, similar in social purpose to a club or café. The findings highlight older adults as active participants in gaming communities.

Our application: Welcome adults as players, builders, hosts, and friends. Provide a familiar place to return to and patient help with getting started, without assuming age determines someone’s interests or abilities.

Read the study abstract
2025Systematic
review
Online peer support People with chronic conditions

Online support groups for chronic conditions: Health, well-being, and how support works

Mills, F., et al. · Communications Psychology, 3, 40 · Mixed studies systematic review

This review synthesized 100 papers about online support groups for people living with chronic conditions. It examined how exchanging support, sharing personal experiences, and comparing experiences with peers related to health and well-being. The evidence suggested potential benefits for social well-being and adjustment to living with a condition, while findings for physical health and overall quality of life were inconclusive. Participants could find understanding and useful information, but reading about others’ difficult experiences sometimes increased anxiety or distress. The review draws attention to the relationships and exchanges within a group, helping explain why people may value connection with others who understand their experiences.

Our application: Make room for supportive conversation alongside shared play in Minecraft and Discord. Respect people’s choices about sharing personal experiences and offer ways to connect around everyday interests, too.

Read the open-access review
2023Prospective
cohort study
Online peer support Adults ages 18–70

Digitally Enabled Peer Support Intervention to Address Loneliness and Mental Health: Prospective Cohort Analysis

Bravata, D. M., et al. · JMIR Formative Research, 7, e48864

This study evaluated a Wisdo digital peer support program with 815 adult registrants in Colorado, ranging in age from 18 to 70. The program combined communities organized around shared experiences, group coaching, opportunities to become a peer helper, and referrals to additional resources. Participants were invited to complete surveys at enrollment and after 30, 60, and 90 days. Follow-up responses showed improvements in reported loneliness, depression, anxiety, and health-related quality of life. The study tracked change without a comparison group, and follow-up survey participation was limited. It offers an example of how ongoing digital communities can bring peer connection, mutual support, and opportunities to contribute into one setting.

Our application: Give community members opportunities to both receive support and contribute to others’ experiences through welcoming newcomers, shared activities, and volunteer roles. Make room for relationships to develop over repeated visits.

Read the open-access study
2023Public health
advisory
Social connection Across the lifespan

Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation

Office of the U.S. Surgeon General · U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

This advisory brings together evidence on the relationship between social connection, health, and well-being across the lifespan. It distinguishes the number and frequency of our relationships from the support they provide and how those relationships feel. That distinction helps explain why someone can spend time around others and still feel lonely, or find meaningful support through a smaller circle of people. The advisory calls for action by individuals, organizations, and communities to make connection more accessible in everyday life. It provides a broad public health foundation for investing in places, activities, and relationships that help people feel supported and included.

Our application: Create regular opportunities to connect and a familiar community people can return to, with attention to whether people feel welcomed, supported, and able to participate.

Read the advisory (PDF)
2014Observational
study
Gaming & friendship Adult & adolescent players

The Relationship Between Online Video Game Involvement and Gaming-Related Friendships Among Emotionally Sensitive Individuals

Kowert, R., Domahidi, E., & Quandt, T. · Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(7), 447–453

Using survey data from German players, this study examined emotional sensitivity, an aspect of shyness, and the friendships people formed or maintained through online gaming. The researchers looked at several kinds of relationships, including friends first met online and existing friends who also played together. More emotionally sensitive players reported different patterns in these friendship networks, suggesting that they used online gaming spaces in ways that supported social connection. The findings describe associations in players’ reported experiences. They help explain why a shared game and flexible communication may be appealing to people who find some face-to-face social situations difficult.

Our application: Give people a shared activity and flexible ways to communicate, so conversation can grow through doing something together. Make space for friendships to develop at a comfortable pace.

Read the open-access study
2021Systematic
review
Social connection Children & early adolescents

Determinants of social connectedness in children and early adolescents with mental disorder: A systematic literature review

Diendorfer, T., et al. · Developmental Review, 60, 100960

This review brought together 33 studies examining social connectedness among children and early adolescents with mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions. Most studies found lower connectedness in the groups being studied, although experiences differed across diagnoses. The researchers identified several relevant influences, including individual skills, symptoms, behavior, and the social environment. They also examined how studies measured connection, with approaches that included friendship quality, loneliness, and peer relationships. The review shows why feeling connected deserves attention in its own right: having contact with other people and experiencing supportive relationships are different aspects of a young person’s social life.

Our application: Pay attention to whether young participants feel included and supported. Invite feedback about friendship, comfort, and participation, alongside what activities they enjoy.

Read the review and abstract
2024Research
brief
Online belonging Young people

Young People’s Sense of Belonging Online

Digital Wellness Lab · Boston Children’s Hospital

This research brief explores how young people develop a sense of belonging in social media communities, shared-interest groups, and online games. It describes how these spaces can support identity exploration, contact with existing friends, and new relationships with people who share similar interests or experiences. Social gaming features among the ways young people gather, communicate, and spend time together. The brief also considers how exclusion, harmful group norms, and unsafe interactions can shape the same spaces. Its central contribution is to look closely at the social experience within a community, including the relationships and behaviors that make people feel welcome.

Our application: Treat moderation, inclusive norms, and respectful boundaries as core parts of community design. Create welcoming activities where people can share interests and feel comfortable being themselves.

Read the research brief
2025Teen
survey
Online belonging Teens ages 13–17

How teens experience belonging across online and offline worlds

Digital Wellness Lab · Pulse Survey of 1,598 U.S. teens ages 13–17

In this national survey, 1,598 teenagers described their sense of belonging, social support, and relationships across online and offline settings. Many reported meaningful online friendships, including friendships with people they had never met in person. Experiences of belonging differed across platforms and were related to support from friends, family, and school. Teens with the least offline support also tended to report less belonging online, showing that an online space does not automatically fill gaps elsewhere in someone’s life. The findings offer a picture of interconnected social worlds, where online friendships and everyday relationships can both matter to a young person.

Our application: Ask about participants’ experiences in the community and recognize that wider relationships and circumstances matter, too. Support positive connections within the game and with the people already in their lives.

Read the findings and report

Learning from our work

How we hope
connection grows.

We want to understand what helps people take part, build relationships, and feel a sense of belonging in our community. Welcoming spaces, shared activities, and participants’ own experiences give us places to start asking questions and learning.

Explore our theory of change

Welcoming spaces

How do moderation, flexible participation, recurring activities, and support for new members help people feel welcome and able to join in?

Shared experiences

What brings people back to play, contribute, and collaborate? How do familiar faces and opportunities to take part in different ways shape their experience?

Participants’ perspectives

Do participants feel more connected, accepted, and able to contribute? What helps, and what still gets in the way?

Our evaluation work is developing. We’re interested in participant feedback, experiences of belonging, accessibility, and engagement over time. Any future formal research will need an appropriate consent process, privacy safeguards, and review.

Help us ask better questions.

We welcome researchers, evaluators, and community partners who want to understand what supportive virtual spaces can make possible.

Connect about research Explore partnerships