Emotional-state homophily in classroom networks: evidence from K–12 students in the Czech Republic

Abstract Peer relations are crucial to students’ well-being, adjustment, and academic success, yet little is known about how emotional states such as happiness, loneliness, stress, and hopelessness shape these connections. This study examines emotional-state homophily—the tendency to form relationships with peers sharing similar emotions—among K-12 students in the Czech Republic. Using anonymized data from 9,176 students in 357 classrooms, we constructed communication networks for both present-state and desired communication frequencies. Employing network modeling, we tested hypotheses about emotional-state homophily, as well as the moderating role of age, while controlling for network structures and gender effects. Our analysis revealed significant homophily tendencies for happiness, loneliness, and stress in both present-state and desired communication networks. Additionally, happiness-based homophily increased with age, while loneliness-based homophily diminished. Unexpectedly, stress and hopelessness were associated with higher tie frequencies, challenging assumptions about their isolating effects. These results highlight the nuanced role of emotions in shaping peer networks and underscore the need for further research to better understand the social mechanisms underlying these patterns.