Depressed and lonely students gain fewer emotional and physiological benefits from social interactions

Depressed and lonely college students experience reduced physiological and psychological benefits from social interactions compared to their less-depressed and less-lonely peers, according to a study published in Psychophysiology.

Social interactions are critical for emotional well-being, yet individuals with depression and loneliness often experience diminished benefits from these experiences. Prior research highlights that depressive symptoms and loneliness lead to social withdrawal and reduced emotional reactivity to positive and negative stimuli, but the real-time physiological dynamics of these interactions remain understudied.

Elizabeth Jelsma and colleagues investigated how depression and loneliness shape affective and physiological responses during interactions with romantic partners, close friends, and groups of friends, aiming to bridge this gap using innovative, applied methods.

The study involved 118 racially and ethnically diverse students from a large Midwestern university, who were asked to wear Empatica E4 wristbands on their non-dominant wrists for one to two weeks. These wristbands continuously measured electrodermal activity (EDA), a marker of sympathetic nervous system arousal.

Participants completed an intake survey at the beginning of the study to assess baseline depressive symptoms and loneliness using NIH Toolbox scales. Daily surveys were administered in the mornings and evenings via smartphones. These surveys prompted participants to recall their day’s activities, report their social interactions (categorized as time spent with a romantic partner, a close friend, or a group of friends), and self-assess their emotional states, including positive and negative affect. The 15-minute segmentation of the day allowed researchers to link self-reported experiences with the real-time physiological data captured by the wristbands.

The researchers found that social contexts elicited distinct patterns of physiological arousal and emotional responses based on participants’ depression and loneliness levels. Students with lower depression and loneliness reported decreased arousal in intimate settings, such as with romantic partners or close friends, suggesting these interactions provided opportunities for relaxation and recovery. In contrast, highly depressed or lonely students did not exhibit similar arousal reductions, indicating they might struggle to find comfort in these contexts.

Group interactions showed the opposite trend: socializing with multiple friends increased arousal, interpreted as an energizing effect among students with lower depression and loneliness. However, those with greater symptoms demonstrated muted arousal increases, highlighting a diminished capacity to engage with and benefit from the excitement of group dynamics.

The authors noted that the study relied on self-reported data for emotional states, which may introduce bias. Additionally, the use of wrist-worn sensors, while innovative, might not capture the full complexity of physiological responses compared to more invasive measures.

Overall, this research underscores the impact of mental health on the ability to derive emotional and physiological benefits from social interactions, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to support college students experiencing depression and loneliness.

The study, “Sympathetic arousal among depressed college students: Examining the interplay between psychopathology and social activity,” was authored by Elizabeth Jelsma, Amy Zhang, Bridget J. Goosby, and Jacob E. Cheadle.