THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON FORMING NEW RELATIONSHIPS: IMPLICATIONS FOR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, THEORY OF MIND, EMPATHY AND SOCIAL MEDIA

As a fallout of the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the whole world was put into isolation. During this period, social media saw a record influx of users who used the technology to stay connected. However, the long-lasting effects of the pandemic on interpersonal relationships and mental health remain a burning topic. Thus, the study aims to examine how the pandemic affected our ability to build new interpersonal relationships in connection to aspects of emotional intelligence such as empathy and Theory of Mind (ToM). Furthermore, the study also examines how the use of social media for communication changed after the pandemic. In total, N = 464 subjects (Age: M = 27.07; 47%, F = 25,9; 53%) participated in the study. Empathy, ToM, social media use for communication before and after the pandemic, and the ability to form new relationships before and after the pandemic were assessed. A compelling finding of the study indicates a statistically significant positive relationship between empathy and the ability to form new relationships before and after the pandemic, suggesting that empathy outweighs both emotional intelligence and social media usage in building new relationships. However, no significant relation was found between ToM and the ability to form new relationships before and after the pandemic. Lastly, no relation was found between ToM, empathy, and the use of social media for communication before and after the pandemic. Future studies should examine how the pandemic may have affected other facets of relationship formation and social interaction dynamics in connection with other aspects of emotional intelligence that have not been covered.