Dartmouth and University of Michigan Researchers Identify Decline in Post-COVID Social Connections
A research team from Dartmouth and the University of Michigan has found a significant decline in social connections since the COVID-19 pandemic. The study, which is currently undergoing peer review, utilized data from an annual survey conducted by Tuck School of Business professor Adam Kleinbaum among first-year MBA students since 2009. The findings indicate that individuals are forming fewer social connections than before the pandemic, and the connections they do form are increasingly based on physical proximity. The researchers, including Kleinbaum, psychological and brain sciences graduate student Caitlyn Lee, University of Michigan social scientist Scott Page, and psychological and brain sciences professor Thalia Wheatley, suggest that while the sample group is specific to MBA students, the observed trends are likely universal. They highlight that even within an environment like Tuck, which offers numerous opportunities for social interaction, students are making fewer connections.
