Charlotte Roddick successfully defended her PhD dissertation at the end of last term!
In her dissertation, titled “Biobehavioural and psychophysiological pathways linking social disconnection to cardiovascular health”, Charlotte examined how social disconnection, including having fewer social connections and feeling chronically lonely, relates to cardiovascular regulation. She found that building stronger local social networks during a major life transition was linked to lower systolic blood pressure, and that chronic loneliness was associated with lower resting vagally mediated heart rate variability and a less flexible heart response during cognitive demands.
Congratulations, Charlotte! We will miss you, and we wish you the very best in your next steps!