You may have heard the phrase “Misery loves company”, but psychological research has shown time and again that the reverse is true: Happiness loves company. Being in the company of other people and doing something fun together has been shown repeatedly to increase positive emotions and general psychological well-being. In contrast, being completely alone for a long time and having strong subjective feelings of loneliness leads to negative emotions in most people. What is less well understood, however, is how being around other people, but without interacting with them, affects emotions and psychological well-being.
How being around other people affects emotions in older adults
To close this major knowledge gap, a new study, just published in October 2026, was focused on understanding how spending time around other people, but without having any social interaction with them, affects positive emotions (Goldman & Moorman, 2026). Published in the journal Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, the study titled “Happiness Loves Company? Positive Affect and the Momentary Social Context” was based on an analysis of data from 352 older adults living in Chicago. The researchers used a method called ecological momentary assessment. Each volunteer who participated in the study was handed a smartphone and had to carry it around for three one-week periods, about five to six months apart. During those three one-week periods, volunteers were messaged five times each day to provide the scientists with information about what they were doing and how they felt.
To find out how the volunteers felt, the scientists asked them the following three questions:
- Did you feel happy?
- Did you feel content?
- Did you feel energetic?
Volunteers also had to indicate whether they were all alone, or in the company of a family member, friend, romantic partner, pet, neighbor, or any other person. If a volunteer indicated that they were around other people, they then had to answer a few follow-up questions about whether they knew some or all of the other people around them. This way, the scientists could distinguish people in four different social states:
- all alone
- in the company of friends or family, but with no other people around
- around people that they did not know, but with no friends or family members around
- in the company of friends or family, and additionally, having other people around
Both socializing and just being around people increased happiness
Overall, the team analyzed more than 12,000 data points collected from the volunteers. Across all data points, the volunteers who participated in the study showed moderate levels of positive emotions. As was to be expected, people who were in the company of friends or family but with no other people around were happier than people who were all alone. But interestingly, volunteers who were around people that they did not know, with no friends or family members around, were also happier than people who were all alone. The highest level of positive emotions was observed in situations in which volunteers were simultaneously in the company of friends or family and that of other people they did not know.
Takeaway
Humans are social animals, and the results of this study make it clear that it is not only deep and meaningful social interactions with people we have known for ages that make us happy; sometimes just being around people in general gives a boost in happiness. These findings are especially important during a time when more people spend an increasing amount of time alone scrolling on their smartphones. Also, they highlight the importance of ensuring that older relatives and friends do not spend too much time all by themselves. So the next time you think about whether you should visit your grandma, do it!
