Create proximity remotely - is it possible?

- It is a big challenge because closeness is a sensory experience where we want to have eye contact and touch each other, but we have seen that through video calls we can still recreate any kind of closeness that can be positive, says Anna Martín Bylund, associate professor at the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Learning at Linköping University.

The researchers have studied how three multilingual families who have moved abroad communicate with their relatives. They have then analyzed the verbal and physical interaction of various video calls.

- The camera creates different possibilities and humor can play a big role. If there is something you can build the conversation around, show and laugh at, it is something that makes us feel closer to each other, says Anna Martín Bylund.

Young children find it easier to participate in the digital way of communicating, the study shows, since body language via video can have a greater significance than speech and language.

"Children are generally easier to release our standards on how we usually talk to each other, so video calls between grandchildren and grandparents open up great opportunities," says Linnéa Stenliden, associate professor Linköping University.

Is it possible to create closeness online? - see more in the video above.