Brain training with positive images may ease loneliness
NCT ID NCT06521099
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Sep 11, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether a 6-session computer program that pairs social images with positive pictures can reduce loneliness in adults. 136 participants will complete tasks and questionnaires over three weeks. The goal is to see if this simple training changes how people feel about social situations and lowers loneliness.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Evaluative conditioning with positive stimuli
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, non-drug method to help adults feel less lonely and improve their mood.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with only 136 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The effect may be small or temporary.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 136 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * No histories of learning impairment, major psychiatric disorders or neurological disorders other than depression * Normal intelligence * At least primary school education Exclusion Criteria: * On medication or treatments within 2 weeks prior to the beginning of the study that would affect the individual's brain, cognitive and affective functions
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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The University of Hong Kong
RECRUITINGHong Kong, Hong Kong
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