The Gathering Effect
Information below the form. If you have questions, please email collab@gloabaldayofunplugging.org
Research Leadership
The study is led by Tracy A. Dennis-Tiwary, Ph.D., clinical psychologist, professor at The City University of New York, Director of the Emotion Regulation Lab, and author of Future Tense, alongside Jamie Carruth, MA, LMFT, licensed psychotherapist and organizational assessment consultant with extensive experience in trauma-informed care and institutional assessment.
About the survey
The Gathering Effect is a coordinated 2026 research study from Global Day of Unplugging exploring what happens when people gather offline, on purpose. At a time when digital connection is constant and physical presence is increasingly rare, the study examines how phone-free, in-person Gatherings relate to experiences of connection, belonging, loneliness, social support, and overall life satisfaction following GDU. Using brief, research-informed surveys completed shortly after Gatherings and again months later, the research aims to explore how moments of unplugged connection are experienced in real time and how they may echo over time. Designed as shared learning for the field, this study invites partners to help translate lived experience into data-informed insight that strengthens storytelling, funding conversations, and our collective understanding of why real-life gathering continues to matter.
Participants who attend GDU Gatherings will be invited to complete a short, research-informed survey shortly after their event, with a follow-up survey several months later. Together, these surveys assess:
Experiences of connection, loneliness, and perceived social support
Overall life satisfaction and future outlook
In-person social engagement and gathering habits
Preferences for face-to-face versus digital interaction
All responses are confidential and reported only in aggregate.