Physical Engagement in Face-to-Face Interaction Is Associated with Depressive Symptoms of Interaction Partners in the Workplace

Abstract

Individuals develop interdependence through interactions. The process of physical coordination during face-to-face interactions facilitates relationship formation, emotional experiences, and emotional contagion. Workplaces inherently involve organic and continuous face-to-face interactions. Examining the interpersonal association between physical movement and emotional state among employees in the workplace is crucial for understanding an organization’s emotional dynamics. This study investigated the association between patterns of physical engagement during face-to-face interactions and depressive symptoms with those of interaction partners in a real-world workplace setting. The analysis utilized face-to-face interaction data from 449 employees across ten organizations, measured using wearable devices, along with a self-reported depression scale. The results showed that employees’ average physical engagement negatively correlated with the average depressive symptoms of their interaction partners, rather than their own. The association remained robust regardless of the number of relationships or workplace type. Furthermore, the depressive symptoms of individuals who had a significant influence on interpersonal relationships within organizations negatively correlated with their and their partner’s physical engagement. Our findings have important implications for the epidemiological understanding of organizational mental health in relation to face-to-face interactions among employees.

Keywords

• face-to-face interaction
• nonverbal interaction
• physical engagement
• depressive symptoms
• organizational behavior