Big idea. Close relationships are strongly linked to health and well-being, but the link is a pattern in observational data. This module teaches you to read such evidence carefully, and to tell being alone from feeling alone.
Outcomes served. O4 (mechanisms and evidence), O5 (read a study critically), O6 (run and log your habit experiment).
Plan your six hours
| Part | Minutes |
|---|---|
| Opener and orientation (this page) | 15 |
| M5.L1 Social relationships and survival | 55 |
| M5.L2 Isolation, loneliness and living alone | 50 |
| M5.L3 Direction of cause in relationship research | 50 |
| M5.L4 What reduces loneliness? Interventions and design | 50 |
| Practice set | 35 |
| Lab: Test a viral loneliness claim | 50 |
| Mastery checkpoint | 30 |
| Discussion prompt and recap | 25 |
| Total | 360 (6 hours) |
Assumed. Modules 1 to 4: scales, effect sizes, confidence intervals, evidence cards, and your habit protocol.
Where this module fits. Habit week 2 of your capstone experiment runs alongside this module. Keep logging each day and calculate your adherence so far in M5.L4.
Where this topic appears in practice. Public-health bodies, employers and councils run schemes to reduce loneliness. Researchers pool studies of social ties to estimate how strongly they relate to health.
A note on care. This module discusses loneliness. If it brings up difficult feelings, please speak to a qualified professional or someone you trust. Course exercises are about reading evidence, not about assessing you.