Beyond dyadic interaction and shared experience: rethinking social connections

Humans inherently seek connections with others, achieved through diverse modes of interaction that include face-to-face or online interactions. Direct face-to-face interactions utilize not only verbal but also diverse nonverbal signals, such as facial expressions, eye contact, and conversational timing, to deepen social connections. When physical interactions are constrained, online platforms emerge as important channels, linking individuals across distances. Additionally, shared experiences driven by events like pandemics or elections can lead to synchrony in affective states and behaviors among people who do not interact directly. Moreover, in social media, algorithm-driven curation intensifies exposure to emotionally charged content, fostering widespread shared emotional experience, as observed during COVID-19 lockdowns where isolation and heavy media use magnified negative sentiments. In response to limited direct contact, many individuals turn to parasocial interactions—one-sided attachments with virtual characters—to fulfill their need for social connections. Furthermore, those with high tendencies in fantasy tend to immerse themselves in fictional worlds, supported by recent findings that intersubject similarity in fantasy maps to similarity in affective appraisal during the social isolation period of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Overall, these varied interaction strategies highlight the importance of the need for social connections and our adaptability of social behaviors in the face of restricted physical interactions. These adaptive processes are crucial for maintaining our physical and mental health. Future research should further investigate how different forms of social interaction, including online interactions and parasocial interactions, contribute to long-term psychological well-being, particularly in contexts of social isolation, and explore ways to optimize technology-driven platforms to foster meaningful and fulfilling social connections.