Key Points
Having meaningful social interactions with peers is associated with lower loneliness and greater affective well-being, a new study has shown...
To conduct the study, published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, the researchers followed three cohorts of university students over three years, collecting data on their social interactions and momentary well-being...
Our research indicates that engaging in meaningful social interactions has net positive outcomes for affective well-being, stress, and loneliness, said lead author Mahnaz Roshanaei, of Stanford University...
The study found greater benefits for well-being when meaningful social interactions happened in person (or face-to-face), compared to other communication channels like direct messaging and texting...
