What the study found
The study found that certain discrete emotions were more central or more directly linked to social connectedness indicators than others in adults with clinically elevated anxiety or depression. In the networks analyzed, hope, joy, guilt/shame, sadness, love, embarrassment, comfort around strangers, feeling understood, poor belonging, and lacking brother/sisterhood among friends showed notable connections.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors conclude that these findings help explain how discrete emotions and social experiences relate in anxiety and depressive disorders. They suggest that specific emotions and connectedness indicators may be promising treatment targets.
What the researchers tested
The researchers used network analysis, a method that examines how items are connected to one another within a system. They analyzed data from 359 adults with clinically elevated anxiety or depression who completed measures of discrete emotions and social connectedness, estimating three networks: emotions with emotions, emotions with social connection indicators, and emotions with social disconnection indicators.
What worked and what didn't
In the emotion-only network, hope, joy, and guilt/shame were the most central nodes within their respective communities, and sadness linked positive and negative emotions. In the social connection network, love was linked with feeling understood, and embarrassment was linked with comfort around strangers. In the social disconnection network, guilt/shame was positively associated with poor belonging, while love was negatively associated with lacking brother/sisterhood among friends.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not describe limitations beyond the study's focus on adults with clinically elevated anxiety or depression. The summary also does not provide information about causation, treatment effects, or whether the findings generalize beyond this sample.
Key points
- The study examined discrete emotions rather than only broad positive and negative affect.
- Hope, joy, and guilt/shame were the most central emotions in their respective groups.
- Sadness linked the positive and negative emotion communities.
- Love and feeling understood were directly connected in the social connection network.
- Guilt/shame was positively associated with poor belonging, and love was negatively associated with lacking brother/sisterhood among friends.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Discrete emotions linked to social connectedness in anxiety and depression
- Authors:
- Ryan Shriver, Madeleine Rassaby, Amanda C Collins, Charles T. Taylor
- Institutions:
- Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, University of California San Diego, University of California San Diego, University of California San Diego
- Publication date:
- 2026-04-02
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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