Media contributions
2Media contributions
Title Friendships could deteriorate in as little as three months, scientists say Media name/outlet The Independent Country/Territory United Kingdom Date 27/08/2020 URL https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/coronavirus-lockdown-friendships-worse-relationships-loneliness-study-a9689876.html Persons Jenny Groarke Title Lockdown may have lasting effects on friendships Media name/outlet BBC news Country/Territory United Kingdom Date 26/08/2020 Description Dr Jenny Groarke from Queen's University, Belfast, has been studying loneliness during the pandemic.
"People are using digital modes of communication to meet their social needs, but they're less satisfied with the quality of this form relative to face-to-face contact," she says.
"[This] lower satisfaction with the quality of digital social contact, we found, was associated with higher loneliness."
This concurs with the findings of Prof Dunbar's research into social behaviour. There's no substitute, he says, for close, face-to-face encounters.
Part of that is the human need for touch.
"People [in our surveys] also spoke about missing physical touch, and finding it 'bizarre' and 'not normal' to go so long without touching people," says Dr Groarke.URL https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53909243?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health&link_location=live-reporting-story Persons Jenny Groarke