From Australia’s historic victory in the 1983 America’s Cup to Freeman’s gold-medal sprint at the Sydney Olympics, sport has the unique ability to captivate and inspire us all.

Now, a study by the University of South Australia is exploring the experiences and benefits for older people involved in a community reminiscence program – Sporting Memories Australia – tapping into their memories and experiences of sport in a move to address loneliness and social isolation.

A new study suggests that when individuals focus on themselves while alone – referred to as the ‘alone mindset’ – they are more likely to perceive their groups as less valuable and feel a diminished sense of connection. In contrast, thinking about being with others or in social contexts can enhance group esteem and strengthen social identity.

The research further demonstrated that an alone mindset was associated with behavioral shift and not just attitudinal shift. Participants allocated lower resources to their group in this condition. This effect was similar to the response after social exclusion, providing evidence that the mere thought of being alone can lead to social alienation, even though being alone is not necessarily associated with negative feelings.