A bigger community could help ward off loneliness for people living with a neurological condition

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-02-16 00:01

Australia; WA

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Aussie researchers looked into the social lives of 68 people diagnosed with a neurological condition -  such as stroke, MS, and Parkinson's - and say having a bigger social network was linked to decreased levels of neuroticism and loneliness. The researchers measured each of the participants' loneliness levels and personality traits and compared them to the size of each person's social networks to work out if any of the traits could mediate the connection. They suggest extraversion could help with the loneliness issues experienced by people living with a neurological condition, and targeted social interventions can therefore be created to assist.