In-person Social Interactions Research Articles

The effects of social capital deprivation for wellbeing: Evidence from the Covid-19 pandemic

The paper explores the relationship between the Covid-19 pandemic, subjective wellbeing and social capital in the UK. I exploit the pandemic as a quasi-natural experiment of an exogenously induced reduction of social capital as an explanation of the frequently documented reduction in wellbeing during the pandemic period. Differently from the literature, results show that after the onset of the pandemic - when the imposition of restrictions to social interactions occurred - both mental health and life satisfaction substantially decreased, and this decrease was larger for the people who reported having higher pre-pandemic social capital. Results also show however that their wellbeing decrease was not high enough to fully overturn the wellbeing gap usually in their favour. This suggests that the positive effects of social capital for wellbeing are via at least two pathways: in-person social interactions and via the value of having social networks. These results contribute to the literature on the relationship between social capital and wellbeing, as well as the one on the effects of the pandemic for mental health and life satisfaction. Policy implications include investing in social capital to increase overall populations’ wellbeing; and, during epidemiological crises, facilitating online psychological support to hamper the negative effects of social isolation, and campaigning to encourage people to keep as much as possible in touch with loved ones and their communities via online social networks and online events to prevent a further degradation of the quantity and quality of social interactions.

Norwegian Adolescents in the Initial Stages of COVID-19 Restrictions

Abstract: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in March 2020, the Norwegian government closed schools and limited leisure activities. In this cross-sectional study, we examined how different types of digital versus in-person social interactions and digital media use were associated with loneliness and mental health problems among adolescents during the initial COVID-19 lockdown. Participants ( N = 703, 79.7% girls , Mage = 17.3 years) completed a questionnaire assessing loneliness, mental health problems, digital media use, and in-person interactions. Both in-person and digital social interaction (texting) with friends were negatively associated with adolescents’ mental health problems and loneliness. By contrast, time spent alone on screen and on social media was positively related to mental health problems. The findings highlight that during the first weeks of the pandemic and of social distancing, increased interactions (either in-person or digital) among adolescents and their friends coincided with lower levels of mental health problems and less loneliness.

IN-PERSON AND TECHNOLOGY-BASED SOCIAL INTERACTION IN OLDER ADULTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC 2022

Abstract Social support is an important factor in the health and well-being of older adults. Early COVID-19 lockdowns disrupted in-person social interactions but presumably increased technology-based social connection. This work examines social interactions during Spring of 2022 in older Arkansans with widely available vaccines and waning lockdowns to investigate current in-person and online social interactions. During Spring 2022, 603 older Arkansans (65+) (86.5% White, non-Hispanic, 65.9% women) completed the 20 question self-report automated survey (text or phone). Results indicated 27.6% continued to curtail in-person interactions significantly; however, 63% engaged in in-person social interactions outside their home more than once a week. Video chatting pre-pandemic was prevalent (40% video chatting multiple times a week); still, 20.6% never did. 22.8% reported increased video chatting during the pandemic, but surprisingly, 37.3% reported a decline. 70% felt socially connected during online interactions. Only 78% reported being satisfied with their social connection compared to 93% pre-pandemic. These findings suggest that while many have re-established in-person social interactions, around one-quarter of participants continue to curtail in-person interaction and report social connection dissatisfaction. Social technology alternatives were increased by about one quarter of participants and were reported to lead to feelings of social connection when used, and yet a decline in this usage was reported across 40% of these participants during the pandemic. These data support access to technology-based social interactions through expansion and improvement of older adult friendly virtual platforms and internet access which could help improve quality and quantity of social connection and reduce social isolation.

In-Person Social Interactions and Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Exploring the Role of Household Size and Virtual Social Contact Among Midlife and Older Black South African Adults.

The current study investigates how physical distancing during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was associated with increased anxiety among a cohort of midlife older Black South African adults and the extent to which household size and virtual social contact modify this association for men and women. We analyze data from a phone survey conducted from July 2021 to March 2022 as part of Health and Aging in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa (n = 2,080). We employ logistic regression to estimate the association between changes in in-person social interactions and anxiety symptoms and examine whether the association is modified by household size and changes in virtual social contact. We perform analyses separately for women and men. Declines in in-person social interactions were associated with increased anxiety for women and men (odds ratios [OR] = 2.52, p < .001). For women only, declines were greater for those living in larger households (OR = 1.11, p = .032). Declines were buffered by increased virtual social contact for both women (OR = 0.55, p = .025) and men (OR = 0.45, p = .019). Although the anxiety symptoms of women and men were similarly affected by declines in in-person social interaction, the modifying influence of household size is unique to women, likely due to gender-specific social roles. For women, living in larger households may mean greater caregiving burden, exacerbating the detrimental association between physical distancing and anxiety. On the other hand, both women and men may have used virtual means to connect with friends and family living outside their homes, buffering against increased anxiety.

How is the COVID-19 pandemic impacting our life, mental health, and well-being? Design and preliminary findings of the pan-Canadian longitudinal COHESION study

BackgroundWith the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person social interactions and opportunities for accessing resources that sustain health and well-being have drastically reduced. We therefore designed the pan-Canadian prospective COVID-19: HEalth and Social Inequities across Neighbourhoods (COHESION) cohort to provide a deeper understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic context affects mental health and well-being, key determinants of health, and health inequities.MethodsThis paper presents the design of the two-phase COHESION Study, and descriptive results from the first phase conducted between May 2020 and September 2021. During that period, the COHESION research platform collected monthly data linked to COVID-19 such as infection and vaccination status, perceptions and attitudes regarding pandemic-related measures, and information on participants’ physical and mental health, well-being, sleep, loneliness, resilience, substances use, living conditions, social interactions, activities, and mobility.ResultsThe 1,268 people enrolled in the Phase 1 COHESION Study are for the most part from Ontario (47%) and Quebec (33%), aged 48 ± 16 years [mean ± standard deviation (SD)], and mainly women (78%), White (85%), with a university degree (63%), and living in large urban centers (70%). According to the 298 ± 68 (mean ± SD) prospective questionnaires completed each month on average, the first year of follow-up reveals significant temporal variations in standardized indexes of well-being, loneliness, anxiety, depression, and psychological distress.ConclusionsThe COHESION Study will allow identifying trajectories of mental health and well-being while investigating their determinants and how these may vary by subgroup, over time, and across different provinces in Canada, in varying context including the pandemic recovery period. Our findings will contribute valuable insights to the urban health field and inform future public health interventions.

Young Love “Locked Down”: Adolescent and Young Adult Perspectives on Sexting During the Covid-19 Pandemic in England

There were limited opportunities for in-person social, intimate, and sexual interactions in England during 2020–2021, due to restrictions imposed by the UK government in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. While previous studies examined the effects of lockdown on intimate relationships, there is less qualitative research regarding young people’s perspectives on and experiences of digitally mediated intimacy (sexting) during the period. This paper discusses findings from focus groups with 80 adolescents and interviews with 38 young adults that explored the topic. Analysis identified a normalization of non-consensual distribution of intimate images within adolescent peer culture and a reluctance to report or intervene in response to incidents of non-consensual distribution that are witnessed or experienced. The adolescent girls and young adult women also described other forms of unwanted and invasive image-sharing and requests for images. Young adults held various perspectives on sexting during lockdown, with some describing sexting as unfulfilling and/or “risky” and others sharing experiences of using sexting to generate intimacy and, among some, engaging in unwanted sexting with partners. By considering both adolescent and young adult perspectives obtained through focus groups and interviews, the study highlighted how group-level norms and meanings surrounding the risks and rewards of sexting may be reproduced or reworked as individuals transition from adolescence to young adulthood. The study underscores the need to support adolescents and young adults in cultivating healthy digital sexual cultures and interpersonal relationships.

Age-gender differences in the relationships between physical and mental health

Previous studies have identified that smoking, exercise and breadth of social interaction mediate the strong associations between physical and mental health. However, these studies have been restricted to older populations, have not explored differences by gender, and have not considered online social interaction. We explore how the effects of four mediators (exercise, smoking, in-person and online social interaction) of the two-way relationships between past and future physical and mental health vary across eight age and gender groups. We use data from a representative sample of the UK population consisting of 175,779 observations on 41,995 adults from Understanding Society (UKHLS) between 2009 and 2019. Within a mediation framework, we estimate the percentage of the total effects that can be explained by the proposed mediating factors. We show that exercise, smoking, in-person and online social interaction are significant mediators of the effect of mental health on future physical health. In-person social interaction is the largest of these, accounting for 2.3% of the total effect. Smoking, in-person and online interaction are significant mediators of the effect of physical health on future mental health. Again, in-person interaction is the largest of these, accounting for 3.0% of the total effect. The percentages of the total effects mediated by each factor differ substantially by age and gender. Seeking to avoid the harmful effects of poor physical health on future mental health should focus on increasing physical activity in older men, and on increasing in-person social interaction in both men and women. Seeking to avoid the harmful effects of poor mental health on future physical health should focus on increasing physical activity and in-person social interaction in older men and women, and on reducing smoking in younger men and women.

Overcoming Social Interactions Stress During COVID-19 Lockdown: The Role of Individuals’ Mobility and Online Emotional Support

The effect of COVID-19 lockdowns on the shift from in-person (offline) social interactions to online interactions and its consequences on social support and stress attracted scholarly attention. However, much less is known about how individuals’ prior mobility experiences have influenced coping with this shift. In the present research, we hypothesized that people with mobility experiences should already be more familiar with, and could profit more from, online social interactions before the pandemic, which might buffer against the negative impact of the pandemic on the emotional social support they obtained and the stress they felt during these interactions. In order to investigate this issue, we collected data ( N = 875) in Germany during the lockdown between April and May 2021. We measured mobility by introducing a novel approach that encompasses the act of moving houses (both within a country and internationally), commuting patterns, and nationality (migration background). Participants also reported the frequency of their online and offline interactions (before and during the lockdown), as well as the emotional support they obtained from online and offline interactions and the stress felt during lockdown interactions (as compared to before the lockdown). Results provide quantitative evidence in support of the main hypothesis especially regarding migration background. We discuss the relevance of these findings for research on migration and mobility.

Community Mobility and Depressive Symptoms During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States

Marked elevation in levels of depressive symptoms compared with historical norms have been described during the COVID-19 pandemic, and understanding the extent to which these are associated with diminished in-person social interaction could inform public health planning for future pandemics or other disasters. To describe the association between living in a US county with diminished mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic and self-reported depressive symptoms, while accounting for potential local and state-level confounding factors. This survey study used 18 waves of a nonprobability internet survey conducted in the United States between May 2020 and April 2022. Participants included respondents who were 18 years and older and lived in 1 of the 50 US states or Washington DC. Depressive symptoms measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9); county-level community mobility estimates from mobile apps; COVID-19 policies at the US state level from the Oxford stringency index. The 192 271 survey respondents had a mean (SD) of age 43.1 (16.5) years, and 768 (0.4%) were American Indian or Alaska Native individuals, 11 448 (6.0%) were Asian individuals, 20 277 (10.5%) were Black individuals, 15 036 (7.8%) were Hispanic individuals, 1975 (1.0%) were Pacific Islander individuals, 138 702 (72.1%) were White individuals, and 4065 (2.1%) were individuals of another race. Additionally, 126 381 respondents (65.7%) identified as female and 65 890 (34.3%) as male. Mean (SD) depression severity by PHQ-9 was 7.2 (6.8). In a mixed-effects linear regression model, the mean county-level proportion of individuals not leaving home was associated with a greater level of depression symptoms (β, 2.58; 95% CI, 1.57-3.58) after adjustment for individual sociodemographic features. Results were similar after the inclusion in regression models of local COVID-19 activity, weather, and county-level economic features, and persisted after widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccination. They were attenuated by the inclusion of state-level pandemic restrictions. Two restrictions, mandatory mask-wearing in public (β, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.15-0.30) and policies cancelling public events (β, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.22-0.51), demonstrated modest independent associations with depressive symptom severity. In this study, depressive symptoms were greater in locales and times with diminished community mobility. Strategies to understand the potential public health consequences of pandemic responses are needed.

Community (dis)connectedness and identity among LGBTQIA+ people during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative cross-sectional and longitudinal trajectory study

ABSTRACT The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and associated shelter-in-place ordinances rapidly limited access to in-person social interactions, raising concerns of diminishing social support and community cohesion while psychological stressors increased. For LGBTQIA+ people, connectedness to the LGBTQIA+ community buffers against the harmful effects of stressors and decreases risks for poor psychological and behavioural health outcomes. The current study uses qualitative cross-sectional (between-person) and trajectory (within-person) analysis methods to characterise how LGBTQIA+ people’s perceptions of community connectedness shifted during the first year of the pandemic. A convenience sample of LGBTQIA+ people in the U.S. completed an initial online survey in September 2020 (n = 298 and a follow-up survey in September 2021; n = 129). The survey included questions about changes in connectedness to the LGBTQIA+ community since the pandemic’s beginning. Eight cross-cutting themes (related to identity shifts/exploration, disconnection, online connections, and increased awareness of social justice issues) were identified and then organised within each level of the LGBTQIA+ Social-Ecological Model (i.e. the individual-, couple-, interpersonal-, organisational-, community-, and chronosystem- level). Given the importance of social support for LGBTQIA+ wellbeing, more longitudinal research is needed to determine whether these changes persist after the resolution of the acute phase of the pandemic.

Neural sensitivity to social reward predicts links between social behavior and loneliness in youth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Neural reward network sensitivity in youth is proposed to differentially impact the effects of social environments on social outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to test this hypothesis within a context of diminished in-person social interaction. We examined whether neural sensitivity to interactive social reward moderates the relationship between a frequency of interactive or passive social activity and social satisfaction. Survey reports of frequency of interactions with friends, passive social media use, and loneliness and social satisfaction were gathered in 2020 during mandated precautions limiting in-person contact. A subset of participants (age=10-17) previously participated in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study examining social-interactive reward during a simulated peer interaction (survey n=76; survey+fMRI n=40). We found evidence of differential response to social context, such that youth with higher neural reward sensitivity showed a negative association between a frequency of interactive connections with friends and a combined loneliness and social dissatisfaction component (LSDC) score, whereas those with lower sensitivity showed the opposite effect. Further, high reward sensitivity was associated with greater LSDC as passive social media use increased, whereas low reward sensitivity showed the opposite. This indicates that youth with greater sensitivity to social-interactive reward may be more susceptible to negative effects of infrequent contact than their low reward-sensitive counterparts, who instead maintain social well-being through passive viewing of social content. These differential outcomes could have implications for supporting youth during times of major social disruption as well as ensuring mental health and well-being more broadly.

Correlates and trajectories of loneliness among community-dwelling older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: A Canadian longitudinal study

The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to examine the contributions of social interaction and other non-social factors to loneliness among older adults in the context of confinement measures constraining opportunities for in-person social interactions. This study aims to identify groups of individuals with heterogeneous trajectories of loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore the sociodemographic, health, psychological and social interaction-related factors associated with these trajectories. In this 12-month longitudinal study, 614 community‐dwelling individuals aged 60+ years completed telephone-based interviews on four occasions between May 2020 and May 2021. Loneliness was evaluated using the three-item version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Multilevel modelling assessed average changes in loneliness over time. Group‐based trajectory modelling was performed to identify distinct trajectories of loneliness over time. Multinomial logistic regressions were conducted to explore the predictors of these trajectories. On average, there was a curvilinear change in loneliness that tracked the stringency of the COVID-19-related confinement measures. In this convenience sample, three heterogeneous trajectories were identified: a stable-low (17.2%), a fluctuating-moderate (48.8%) and a sustained-elevated (34.0%) trajectory. Participants in the sustained-elevated loneliness trajectory were more likely to live alone and experience elevated psychological distress and greater COVID-19 perceived health threat compared to those in the stable-low trajectory. Participants in the fluctuating-moderate loneliness group were more likely to have multimorbidity, experience greater psychological distress, and have less frequent in-person interactions than the stable-low loneliness group. Assessing the combination of sociodemographic, health, psychological and social factors may help identify individuals at higher risk for chronic loneliness.

The Impact of Social Media Use on Social Interaction of Students of The Faculty of Medicine, Jenderal Soedirman University

Social media is an internet-based group application that builds on the basis ofideologues and web 2.0 technologies and enables the creation and conversion of content from users that produces both positive and negative impacts. The research method uses qualitative methods and descriptive approaches with informant sources of Jenderal Soedirman University students, Faculty of Medicine. The result of this study is that the use of social media has a complex impact on students' social interactions. While social media can improve connectedness and access to information, its excessive or unbalanced use can interfere with face-to-face communication and mental health. Students need to understand and manage their use of social media wisely, while still appreciating the importance of in-person social interaction and real-world relationship building.

Death by prox(y)imity: Participation with the pandemic through the mobile multiplayer game Among Us (2018)

As in-person social interaction became widely known as the primary mode of transmission of the COVID-19 virus, alternative modes of social interaction were adopted to maintain interpersonal communication during the various lockdowns that were to come. By analysing the application of five key concepts (Goffman’s definition of the situation, Anderson’s imagined communities, Fischer-Licht’s autopoietic feedback loop, Murray’s procedural authorship and Agamben’s state of exception), we develop an assemblage for assessing Innersloth’s Among Us as a proxy for the pandemic experience.

Do we need a digital school uniform? Arguments for and against a smartphone ban in schools

A topic of discussion around the globe is whether smartphones should be banned from schools to provide better learning environments and to support in-person social interactions among children and adolescents. First, countries such as France and China recently established smartphone bans. In the present article we reflect on arguments for and against smartphone bans. We discuss whether a digital school uniform – meaning the same smartphone rules for all (a ban) – represents a timely intervention.

Pandemic Related Changes in Technology Use Among a Sample of Previously Hospitalized Older Adult New Yorkers: An Observational Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic increased the importance of technology for all Americans, including older adults. Although a few studies have indicated that older adults might have increased their technology use during the COVID-19 pandemic, further research is needed to confirm these findings, especially among different populations, and using validated surveys. In particular, research on changes in technology use among previously hospitalized community-dwelling older adults, especially those with physical disability, is needed because older adults with multimorbidity and hospital associated deconditioning were a population greatly impacted by COVID-19 and related distancing measures. Obtaining knowledge regarding previously hospitalized older adults' technology use, before and during the pandemic, could inform the appropriateness of technology-based interventions for vulnerable older adults. In this paper, we 1) described changes in older adult technology-based communication, technology-based phone use, and technology-based gaming during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic and 2) tested whether technology use moderated the association between changes in in-person visits and well-being, controlling for covariates. Between December 2020 and January 2021 we conducted a telephone-based objective survey with 60 previously hospitalized older New Yorkers with physical disability. We measured technology-based communication through three questions pulled from the National Health and Aging Trends Study COVID-19 Questionnaire. We measured technology-based smart phone use and technology-based video gaming through the Media Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale. We used paired t tests and interaction models to analyze survey data. This sample of previously hospitalized older adults with physical disability consisted of 60 participants, 63.3% of whom identified as female, 50.0% of whom identified as White, and 63.8% of whom reported an annual income of $25,000 or less. This sample had not had physical contact (such as friendly hug or kiss) for a median of 60 days and had not left their home for a median of 2 days. The majority of older adults from this study reported using the internet, owning smart phones, and nearly half learned a new technology during the pandemic. During the pandemic, this sample of older adults significantly increased their technology-based communication (mean difference=.74, P=.003), smart phone use (mean difference=2.9, P=.016), and technology-based gaming (mean difference=.52, P=.030). However, this technology use during the pandemic did not moderate the association between changes in in-person visits and well-being, controlling for covariates. These study findings suggest that previously hospitalized older adults with physical disability are open to using or learning technology, but that technology use might not be able to replace in-person social interactions. Future research might explore the specific components of in-person visits that are missing in virtual interactions, and if they could be replicated in the virtual environment, or through other means.

Using Wearable Sensors to Measure Interpersonal Synchrony in Actors and Audience Members During a Live Theatre Performance

Studying social interaction in real-world settings is of increasing importance to social cognitive researchers. Theatre provides an ideal opportunity to study rich face-to-face interactions in a controlled, yet natural setting. Here we collaborated with Flute Theatre to investigate interpersonal synchrony between actors-actors, actors-audience and audience-audience within a live theatrical setting. Our 28 participants consisted of 6 actors and 22 audience members, with 5 of these audience members being audience participants in the show. The performance was a compilation of acting, popular science talks and demonstrations, and an audience participation period. Interpersonal synchrony was measured using inertial measurement unit (IMU) wearable accelerometers worn on the heads of participants, whilst audio-visual data recorded everything that occurred on the stage. Participants also completed post-show self-report questionnaires on their engagement with the overall scientists and actors performance. Cross Wavelet Transform (XWT) and Wavelet Coherence Transform (WCT) analysis were conducted to extract synchrony at different frequencies, pairing with audio-visual data. Findings revealed that XWT and WCT analysis are useful methods in extracting the multiple types of synchronous activity that occurs when people perform or watch a live performance together. We also found that audience members with higher ratings on questionnaire items such as the strength of their emotional response to the performance, or how empowered they felt by the performance, showed a high degree of interpersonal synchrony with actors during the acting segments of performance. We further found that audience members rated the scientists performance higher than the actors performance on questions related to their emotional response to the performance as well as, how uplifted, empowered, and connected to social issues they felt. This shows the types of potent connections audience members can have with live performances. Additionally, our findings highlight the importance of the performance context for audience engagement, in our case a theatre performance as part of public engagement with science rather than a stand-alone theatre performance. In sum we conclude that interdisciplinary real-world paradigms are an important and understudied route to understanding in-person social interactions.

COVID-19 pandemic effects on college student mental health: A cross-sectional cohort comparison study

Objective Evaluate COVID-19 pandemic impacts on college student mental health. Participants Three cohorts of college students (2018 n = 466; 2019 n = 459; 2020, n = 563; N = 1488) from three American universities. Participants were 71.4% female, 67.5% White, and 85.9% first-year students. Methods Multivariable regression models and bivariate correlations were used to compare anxiety, depression, well-being, and search for meaning before and during the pandemic, and the relationships between pandemic health-compliance behaviors and mental health. Results Anxiety, depression, and well-being did not significantly worsen during compared to before (2019) the pandemic (ps = .329–.837). During the pandemic, more frequent in-person social interactions were correlated with lower anxiety (r = –0.17, p < .001) and depressive symptoms (r=-0.12, p = .008), and higher well-being (r = 0.16, p < .001), but also less handwashing (r = –0.11, p = .016) and face mask-wearing (r = –0.12, p = .008). Conclusions We observed little evidence for pandemic impacts on college student mental health. Lower compliance with pandemic health guidelines was associated with better mental health.

Promoting Positive Social Interactions: Recommendation for a Post-Pandemic School-Based Intervention for Social Anxiety.

The purpose of this perspective article is to identify problematic behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic and recommend a school-based intervention (e.g., self-reflection, motivational interview, and workbook) to address post-COVID social anxiety among children and adolescents. The recommendations involve comparing students' social interaction behaviors pre-pandemic, during the pandemic, and post-pandemic, and evaluating any behavioral changes in social relationships six months later. We also discuss the evaluation criteria and surveys used to assess the impact of the intervention on behavioral changes. Our evaluation criteria are based on students' beliefs and abilities and aim to demonstrate that the intervention improves in-person social interactions and helps students adapt to the transition back to school. The proposed perspectives and strategies of the intervention can be modified to meet the needs of the researchers and professionals. By working together, global policymakers from the fields of education and public health can create school-based interventions that enhance students' physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. This program aims to mitigate the negative effects of school closures and social isolation and to broaden the role of schools in supporting students in the challenging post-pandemic world by addressing their holistic needs.

Digital Intervention in Loneliness in Older Adults: Qualitative Analysis of User Studies.

Loneliness is a significant well-being issue that affects older adults. Existing, commonly used social connection platforms do not contain facilities to break the cognitive cycle of loneliness, and loneliness interventions implemented without due processes could have detrimental effects on well-being. There is also a lack of digital technology designed with older adults. We aimed to iteratively design a user-centered smartphone app that can address loneliness in older adults. The aim of this study was to investigate the loneliness-related psychological processes that our conceptual smartphone app promotes. We also identified the emergent needs and concerns that older adults raised regarding the potential benefits and detriments of the app. We used technology probes to elicit older adults' reflections on the concept of using the app in 2 studies as follows: concept focus groups (n=33) and concept interviews (n=10). We then conducted a prototype trial with 1 week of use and follow-up interviews (n=12). Thematic analysis explored the experiences and emergent challenges of our app through the design process. This led to the development of 4 themes as follows occurring in all 3 qualitative data sets: reflection on a digital social map is reassuring; app features encourage socializing; the risk of compounding loneliness; and individuals feel more control with mutual, socially beneficial activities. Smartphone apps have the potential to increase older adults' awareness of the richness of their social connections, which may support loneliness reduction. Our qualitative approach to app design enabled the inclusion of older adults' experiences in technology design. Thus, we conclude that the older adults in our study most desired functionalities that can support mutual activities and maintain or find new connections rather than enable them to share an emotional state. They were wary of the app replacing their preferred in-person social interaction. Participants also raised concerns about making the user aware of the lack of support in their social network and wanted specific means of addressing their needs. Further user-centered design work could identify how the app can support mutual activities and socializing.