Loneliness Research

MJ Author

03/15/2021 Added

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Can a voice-controlled device like the Amazon Echo reduce loneliness? That's the question asked by University of Nebraska-Lincoln advertising professor Valerie Jones. Here study suggests the devices could have an impact on loneliness among older people.

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[00:00:00.350]Alexa, what's the weather forecast?
[00:00:03.420]It's 55 degrees Fahrenheit with clear skies...
[00:00:06.200]Alexa has made its way into our homes.
[00:00:08.910]The voice-controlled device provides the weather forecast,
[00:00:12.280]makes calls, plays music.
[00:00:15.000]Here's a station you might like.
[00:00:16.828](rock music plays)
[00:00:19.470]But can Alexa make us feel less lonely?
[00:00:22.500]This is a little, the little speaker itself.
[00:00:26.000]Valerie Jones asked that question
[00:00:27.940]as part of a research project
[00:00:29.580]at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
[00:00:31.890]Jones provided the Amazon Echo Dot
[00:00:34.280]to adults ages 75 and older,
[00:00:36.540]provided training and a list of commands.
[00:00:39.400]Over time, study participants reported
[00:00:42.150]reduced perceptions of loneliness,
[00:00:44.650]especially when they treated Alexa as a person.
[00:00:48.380]Loneliness was indeed influenced
[00:00:50.890]by having one of these devices around,
[00:00:53.170]that those perceptions of loneliness decreased.
[00:00:56.290]And then we found that those who interacted with it
[00:00:59.030]in a more anthropomorphic way,
[00:01:00.920]so treating it more like a person,
[00:01:04.100]that that did help predict that reduction in loneliness.
[00:01:08.210]Now, Jones will collaborate with researchers
[00:01:10.750]at the University of Nebraska at Omaha
[00:01:13.040]and the medical center.
[00:01:14.650]The new study will look
[00:01:15.730]at how a personalized routine with the device
[00:01:18.340]reduces loneliness and impacts pain.
[00:01:21.570]I'm not expecting Alexa to become everyone's best friend.
[00:01:24.230]I'm not looking toward a future where robots replace people,
[00:01:27.210]but we are looking toward a future where we can think about
[00:01:29.470]how technology can improve our lives for some people,
[00:01:32.830]how it can help us stay more connected,
[00:01:35.010]how it can help us feel more meaning,
[00:01:36.840]how it can help us manage our pain.
[00:01:39.470]Jones sees the technology
[00:01:41.040]as a new version of the radio, a device that decades ago
[00:01:45.120]might have reduced loneliness among our grandparents.
[00:01:48.310]For future generations,
[00:01:49.790]Alexa might provide the connection we crave.
[00:01:52.891](upbeat music)

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Loneliness Research

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