Summer Research Series: Unpacking Social Isolation and the Science of Making Friends

Whether it’s introducing yourself to a stranger or complimenting them on their shoes, shifting societal norms directly impact how people from different generations socialize.

With social media more prevalent than ever and feelings of social isolation and disconnection at an all-time high after the pandemic, Emmanuel College Professor of Psychology, Dr. Linda Lin, found herself wondering how these things intersect – particularly for Gen Z individuals – and it quickly became the latest topic of her research.

Emmanuel College’s summer research program offers students and faculty alike the distinct opportunity to collaborate on scholarly work. This summer, 45 students across multiple disciplines and Academic Schools are conducting research with Emmanuel faculty. Throughout this series, we will highlight the research going on throughout the summer, which will conclude with a poster session in the fall.

Sophia Trindade '27 and Dr. Linda Lin discuss their summer research in the Wilkens Science Center atrium.

The topic also caught the attention of Sophia Trindade ’27, a Psychology major with a concentration in Counseling & Health, and a double minor in Industrial & Organizational Psychology and Human Resource Management. She started her summer research at the beginning of July after a semester abroad program in Fiji through The Education Abroad Network (TEAN).

Trindade, who aspires to become a therapist for kids in their early teens, has since seen research in a whole new light.

“This has really opened my eyes to the reality of what research can be… so much more than I thought it was,” she said, “the opportunity to be involved in this process has helped me bridge the gap between doing the research and hands-on work.”

Trindade had been familiar with Dr. Lin and her expertise since she took a mock class with her at an Emmanuel Accepted Students’ Day. From that point on, she said she was very excited to take actual classes with her, and has taken a few with Dr. Lin since. Getting involved on the research front took a bit more time!

When Dr. Lin would ask to see if she’d be interested in research, she said she wasn’t interested – but Dr. Lin continued to encourage Trindade to try it because she saw the potential in how Trindade could succeed in research and in the field, and even pursue a Ph.D. if she really wanted to.

Trindade has been able to see what it’s like to get a new research project off the ground: reading articles and studies to identify what’s out there and where there are gaps – and then being able to determine how new research can fill those gaps.

The process so far has also included the development of survey questions and preparation for interviews, through which they will gather responses from people of varying generations and genders to see how individuals perceive certain social norms and interactions.

As Dr. Lin began forming the research topic, she observed how Gen Z college students have been struggling to connect with others, a shift that became even more apparent after the pandemic.

Dr. Lin’s recent work, as well as her PSYCH4210 course, “The Psychology of Happiness and Well-Being” was recently featured in Inside Higher Ed. The course takes students through the idea of “positive psychology” and is built upon wellness assignments and activities to help improve student well-being.

Learn more about the course and how it relates to their ongoing research!

Trindade and Dr. Lin will continue to collaborate on research into the fall semester, with hopes of presenting their findings at an upcoming conference.

It’s crazy to think, Trindade said, that they could even be the first ones to document research on some of these topics, like how people are using technology like AI chatbots and social media to counteract their feelings of loneliness and disconnection.

“At first, I was discouraged because I couldn’t find any research on this stuff, but then I realized that’s a good thing for us, because it means we could be the first ones to do it!” Trindade said.

Entering her junior year, the research experience has been a great primer for Trindade to practice skills and build knowledge that will directly apply to her career goals – and she’s building a knowledge base of relevant information that has a direct impact on the age groups she hopes to work with.

They hope to have the survey data collected by the end of the summer and to be able to present it at a conference in the fall – including Trindade as a co-author and presenter. Dr. Lin said she hopes that Trindade can experience the conference setting, where so many experts from the field are eager to learn about her findings. “It feels so exciting to be apart of that,” Dr. Lin said.

Emmanuel’s Research Approach

The key, and the focal point of the College’s summer research program, Dr. Lin said, is to get students involved to a point where they not only get great exposure to research, but feel ownership of the work they’re doing. Especially in this case, she said, Trindade is in the age range that they are focused on – meaning her own experiences make her an expert on this ongoing social phenomenon.

Being included on published work is a huge takeaway for Emmanuel students, and when participating in the College’s summer research program, students receive a stipend and are able to live on campus during their research period.

“This is instrumental in getting students into really competitive Master’s programs – and Emmanuel’s program in general makes it possible for students – many of whom can’t afford to give up a summer of income to do research,” Dr. Lin said.

From a student’s perspective, Trindade said she loves hearing from her roommate and other students about what they’ve been researching this summer.

“It’s so cool that there’s so many research topics [on campus] and that everyone is so passionate about their work,” she said.