Mini facts: What's the latest in research on social connection?
This post is a round up of the best social media posts I’ve created on this topic, listed by year.
The goal is to provide a format that is easier for you to refer to, or to search. It will be updated periodically.
2019
Social evaluation is a part of daily life, and fear of negative (FNE) or positive evaluation (FPE) can have an effect on our mood and response to stress. Contributors to this effect include gender and depression.
From an evolutionary standpoint, it is thought that fear of negative evaluation helps to keep us from moving down in a hierarchy (with risk of social exclusion) while fear of positive evaluation keeps us from moving up and potentially into conflict with those above us in a hierarchy.
Interestingly, it is possible that we are better able to tolerate evaluations stemming from our close network than our distant network.
Possible explanations for this are:
Responses from close relationships may be more predictable.
Conflict in close, stable relationships is less likely to result in separation.
Close relationships make less use of hierarchy.
It is harder to avoid those who are close, so we become more used to these interactions.
I’d venture to add that perhaps close relationships also have more potential to be constructive in their evaluations than distant relationships.
Have you noticed that evaluation from distant connections affects you differently than evaluation from close connections?
Reichenberger, J., Smyth, J. M. & Blechert, J. Fear of evaluation unpacked: day-to-day correlates of fear of negative and positive evaluation. Anxiety, Stress. Coping 31, 159–174 (2018).
There is a region of your brain that has been shown to be activated in both physical pain and in “social” pain such as social exclusion. Recently, this same region has been associated with increased activation during social exclusion in cocaine users compared to controls.
Previous research demonstrated that social stress such as this is as powerful as drug-related cues in producing cravings. Due to shared brain regions activated by social exclusion and drug cues, it is possible social exclusion may play a role in relapse.
The authors in the current study suggest “the well-known sensitivity to social exclusion observed in substance abusers may be related to an underlying affective dysregulation.”
This brings to light some interesting questions:
What part of this response is due to drug use and what part is due to life history?
How could a life history of exclusion contribute to heightened sensitivity to exclusion?
What role could this heightened activity in situations of exclusion play in precipitating the addiction in the first place?
Is this really related to a “dysregulation”? Or is it representative of a strong, biologically-driven need to belong?
Research on the nuances of social connection and addiction can also help us understand how social media can be addictive and why we crave connection.
Hanlon, C. A., Shannon, E. E. & Porrino, L. J. Brain activity associated with social exclusion overlaps with drug-related frontal-striatal circuitry in cocaine users: A pilot study. Neurobiol. Stress 10, 100137 (2019).
It has long been theorized that our relationship goals change with age. One study that took a look at relationships over 30 years found support for this, with results that suggested:
At 20, we seek information, and the time spent on interaction as well as the number of interactions we have matters for social and psychological health at age 50.
At 30, we seek emotional closeness, and the quality (intimacy and satisfaction) of interactions we have matters for social and psychological health at age 50.
Being good at these quantity-related goals at 20 was not necessarily associated with being good at the closeness-related goals at 30.
While this study may or may not resonate with your unique situation or relationship goals, it is interesting to consider what your connection goals are and how you are meeting them.
Identifying your relationship goals and recognizing when/why/how these change over time may help you to embrace the quality and quantity of connection and interaction that work best for you and your health.
Have you noticed your friendships or connection goals change with age?
Carmichael, C. L., Reis, H. T. & Duberstein, P. R. In your 20s it’s quantity, in your 30s it’s quality: The prognostic value of social activity across 30 years of adulthood. Psychol. Aging 30, 95–105 (2015).
These concerns and benefits were brought up in the context of children’s use of digital media, but they have relevance to adults too. What do you use digital media for? How do you address these concerns in relation to your own use of media?
Reid Chassiakos, Y. L. et al. Children and Adolescents and Digital Media. Pediatrics 138, e20162593 (2016).
Hoge, E., Bickham, D. & Cantor, J. Digital Media, Anxiety, and Depression in Children. Pediatrics 140, S76–S80 (2017).
Multigenerational living arrangements have been on the rise and I can understand why! Research suggests that living with more of your family:
Promotes proximity and social inclusion
Protects against depression
Provides for creative care arrangements (whether childcare while at work or caring for a loved one’s health)
Is one reason there are fewer older adults living alone (loneliness in older populations is a huge risk factor for deterioration in physical and psychological health)
There are so many ways you can support each other when living under the same roof! And yes, this includes reducing costs in an expensive housing market. There are even special housing developments specifically made for intergenerational living, where there are basically two separate living spaces connected by a door to allow all parties to interact but also to have some independence when they want it.
Did you grow up in a multigenerational household? Are you living with your parents or your grandchildren?
Santini, Z. I., Koyanagi, A., Tyrovolas, S., Mason, C. & Haro, J. M. The association between social relationships and depression: A systematic review. J. Affect. Disord. 175, 53–65 (2015).
Courtin, E. & Avendano, M. Under one roof: The effect of co-residing with adult children on depression in later life. Soc. Sci. Med. 168, 140–149 (2016).
Here’s a curious finding about in-real-life interactions – a spontaneous smile will start on the left side of the face about 89.5% of the time! You can also pick up on this detail when examining other people’s expressions and this helps you determine how genuine they are.
Isn’t it amazing how you pick up on such subtle social cues?
We are built for greater complexity in our social interactions than can happen from texting, emailing, social media, etc. I hope you all get a healthy break from your screens this weekend to check this out in real life!
Ross, E. D. & Pulusu, V. K. Posed versus spontaneous facial expressions are modulated by opposite cerebral hemispheres. Cortex 49, 1280–1291 (2013).
Carr, E. W., Korb, S., Niedenthal, P. M. & Winkielman, P. The two sides of spontaneity: Movement onset asymmetries in facial expressions influence social judgments ☆. J. Exp. Soc. Psychol. 55, (2014).
Have you ever had a day that started off great and then one ill-tempered comment sent you in a downward spiral? Everything else was going right, so why did that one little thing take away from everything that was good in your day?
Research suggests negative interactions really do weigh heavier on our minds (and our health) than positive interactions. But here’s the thing - the actual number of positive interactions and sources of positive interactions actually outweigh the negative ones.
I remember having fantastic volunteer shifts at my local hospital helping some of the sweetest, most gracious people and then occasionally right before the end of my shift someone would practically eat me alive for something trivial like a parking fee (also something I had no authority over). I would go home feeling destroyed because I was trying so hard to do the best I could and that one negative interaction negated (in my mind) everything else I’d done on shift.
The fact of the matter was I had many, many positive interactions during those shifts and met many wonderful people. Plus, the unpleasant interactions were likely from people with significant stress in their life (they were, after all, visiting at a hospital). Sometimes we can’t see our life as objectively as we’d like to, but that one negative interaction doesn’t need to hold sway over your day.
Funny enough, family can be a major source of both positive and negative interactions for people. Who holds top place for positive interactions in your life?
Rook, K. S. Social Networks in Later Life: Weighing Positive and Negative Effects on Health and Well-Being. Curr. Dir. Psychol. Sci. 24, 45–51 (2015).
2018
There is a reason for this! You may recognize oxytocin as the “love” hormone, involved in strengthening bonds between you and your spouse, child, other family and friends. But did you know that oxytocin also plays a role in social avoidance? When used intranasally, it does make some people anxious! How is this possible?
Well you have oxytocin receptors in different areas of your brain. In some areas of your brain, oxytocin helps you to be more aware of positive social contexts. And in other areas of your brain, oxytocin helps you become aware of negative or unfamiliar social environments. The authors of this recent review suggest understanding how these positive vs negative circuits work will help us develop therapies that are more specific and effective than simply giving intranasal oxytocin.
For more on the importance of social connection, check out my talk from AHS18!
How old were you when you got your first smartphone? I was in college. You may be surprised by what tweens themselves think on this topic! Early adolescents wanted:
Maturity rather than age to determine when they could have a smartphone. For example after school activities requiring them to arrange their own transportation.
Collaboration with parents to determine boundaries of use. They wanted specific and enforced rules on type of use and duration of use.
Accountability where adolescents participated in costs and avoided being a cyberbully or becoming addicted to their phone.
Not exactly the rebellious technology-toting stereotypes made of modern teens! How can we respect tweens’ growing independence while still protecting their physical and psychological health? What age/milestone do you think is appropriate?
Are you feeling stressed or anxious? Consider what your social circumstances were as long ago as three weeks! In this study, researchers found that when mice were exposed to repeated social defeat, they had more white blood cells recruited to their brains causing inflammation and anxiety. This change made the mice more reactive to acute stress or immune threat as long as 24 days later! And when they got sick they stayed sick longer.
It is SO important to support each other! I am human, you are human and in that human-ness we both make mistakes and we both have goals and dreams. We make each other stronger by working together.
For more on the importance of social connection, check out my talk from AHS18!