Experience sampling study on social fatigue in daily life
Type of research: quantitative empirical (experience sampling)
Description:
Social fatigue refers to feeling mentally or emotionally drained from (too many) social interactions. In this study, you will examine experiences of social fatigue in daily life using an experience sampling method (ESM) study. Over a two-week period, participants will report multiple times per day on their social interactions, perceived social fatigue, and other constructs or behaviours of interest using an app on their phone. ESM is particularly suitable for this topic because social interactions and fatigue fluctuate across the day and may be difficult to recall accurately afterward. For the current study you will aim to recruit at least 20 participants.
The aim is to investigate predictors or correlates of social fatigue. For instance, you can focus on if and how the number of or different types of social contact (e.g., in-person vs. online) are associated with within-person fluctuations in social energy and fatigue. You are free to add your own specific momentary constructs or behaviours of interest (e.g., affect, sleep), as long as they can be easily measured using a very small number of questions. You can also add a longer baseline questionnaire focussing on specific baseline trait-like predictors of social fatigue over time, such as personality traits (e.g., introversion) or self-compassion.