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Belongingness needs have generally been thought to be filled through traditional strategies, but recent research suggests that nontraditional strategies (e.g., parasocial relationship partners, TV shows) may work as well. No work has yet examined the comparative importance of these different social behaviors in contributing to social need fulfillment. The current work utilized a visual measure to assess frequency, variety, and degree of contribution to social fulfillment of 17 social behaviors. Overall, the conceptualization of the need to belong as flexible and able to be satisfied by a variety of social behaviors was supported; both traditional and nontraditional social strategies were related to positive outcomes. Results suggest that nontraditional strategies may contribute an added layer of vibrancy to our social lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research examines the hypothesis that collective effervescence – the sense of connection and meaning that comes from collective events – is not just useful for understanding rare, unusual, and intense collective events, but also as a framework for understanding how seemingly insignificant and/or common collective gatherings (i.e. 'everyday events') may give meaning, a sense of connection, and joy to life. We found evidence for our hypothesis across nine different studies utilizing eleven datasets and over 2500 participants. The first three studies found that collective effervescence is best understood as a combination of feeling connected to others and a sensation of sacredness. The next four studies found that collective effervescence is found in common, everyday kinds of events and that it is related to various aspects of enjoying group activities. The last two studies found that collective effervescent experiences are common; three quarters of people experience collective effervescence at least once a week and a third experience them every day. Moreover, commonly experiencing collective effervescence predicts wellbeing above and beyond the effects of other kinds of social connection. Results are discussed in terms of the human need for social connection and the importance of groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19-related social distancing guidelines pose challenges that may be particularly distressing for those high in extroversion, who tend to experience greater happiness when in social situations (Costa & McCrae, 1980; Emmons & Diener, 1985). Our research sought to examine if extroversion was related to greater use of COVID-19-compliant, nontraditional social strategies (e.g. collective effervescent experiences, social surrogate use, and video-chatting) when social options were limited. We examined residents of New York State before the start of the pandemic, during the peak of the pandemic, and one year after the peak of the pandemic. Using a variety of analytical strategies, we found that extroversion was associated with greater use of nontraditional social strategies during the pandemic, and that use of some of these strategies partly explained a relationship between extroversion and maintaining happiness during the pandemic. Furthermore, extroversion was associated with greater use of some of these strategies only when traditional social opportunities were limited. These findings suggest that extroverts are likely to seek out and utilize unorthodox forms of connection to maintain wellbeing, particularly when other social options are unavailable. This work makes novel contributions to our understanding of extroversion and the flexibility of the need to belong. • Extroverts used more socially distanced social strategies during COVID-19. • More collective effervescent events predicted happiness during COVID-19. • Using parasocial relationships and narratives predicted happiness during COVID-19. • Using some social strategies mediated extroversion and happiness during COVID-19. • Extroverts used parasocial relationships and narratives more when social distancing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]