For the last few years, the overall narrative has been that Gen Z is not too keen on social connections and in a state of “gloom and doom”. The CEO of Soul, Zhang Lu, wanted to test the veracity of this assumption.
Soul has a predominantly young user base, so the platform has a lot of pertinent data. This was combined with the behavioral science expertise of the scholars from Fudan University. The result of this partnership was the 2026 Social Trends Report. At the outset, the report confirmed that youngsters are indeed rejecting idealized versions of connection.
But moving away from performative intimacy does not equate to shunning social connections. Soul Zhang Lu’s researchers noted that young people are now rejecting idealized versions of connection in favor of something far more pragmatic: relationships that actually work.
This points at a highly intentional recalibration of how relationships are structured, maintained, and emotionally resourced in an era marked by volatility, overstimulation, and psychological fatigue. The change is understandable given that Gen Z is the first cohort to grow up entirely within algorithmic systems of feedback.
The quantifiable and public nature of social approval in the form of likes, comments, and views has exacted a psychological toll. Eventually, this has led to rising anxiety and even burnout. Zoomers have realized that the fantasy of a perfectly balanced life with a successful career, emotionally omnipotent partner, and endlessly supportive social circle is both unrealistic and unsustainable.
So, instead of striving harder to achieve it, Gen Z appears to be abandoning the fantasy altogether. According to Soul Zhang Lu’s research team, this change in both perception and desire has pushed Zoomers away from symbolic relationships and towards functional ones.
Simply put, Zoomers are far less interested in what a relationship represents and far more focused on what it provides. So, these youngsters are now asking questions like: Does it offer emotional safety? Does it reduce confusion? Does it support autonomy rather than erode it?
If the answer is yes, only then is the relationship considered valuable. If not, it is reassessed, renegotiated, or allowed to fade. Another thing to note is that youngsters are applying this logic equally to all relationships, including friendships, romantic partnerships, family ties, and digital connections.
A defining feature of this new relational logic is modularity. Instead of expecting one person to fulfill multiple emotional roles, Generation Z is only too happy to distribute needs across different connections.
So, one friend may be a thinking partner for ideas and problem-solving; another may provide emotional comfort, and a colleague might serve as a source of motivation. Each relationship operates within a defined scope, with clear boundaries.
Soul Zhang Lu’s team suggests that this modular approach significantly reduces interpersonal conflict. When expectations are specific rather than totalizing, disappointment decreases and emotional sustainability increases.
A rather controversial finding in Soul Zhang Lu’s report is about how artificial intelligence is now serving as emotional infrastructure. Researchers noted that most youngsters were not treating AI as a substitute for human connection. But, they did observe that this cutting-edge technology is being used to redistribute emotional labor.
So, now AI is handling the repetitive or cognitively demanding emotional tasks that put pressure on human relationships. For instance, friends and partners are no longer required to be constant problem-solvers or emotional stabilizers. Instead, they can focus on presence, empathy, and shared experience. In this sense, AI has a stabilizing function within modern emotional ecosystems.
Another relationship shift noted by Soul Zhang Lu’s researchers pertained to self-care. Once marketed as indulgence, self-care for Gen Z is an act of maintenance. Yet, youngsters are not falling for consumerized wellness narratives that equate self-love with productivity or aesthetic optimization. Instead, they are choosing rest without justification, emotional neutrality without guilt, and disengagement without apology.
So, the dominant metaphor is no longer self-improvement, but self-friendship. Youngsters are treating themselves with the same patience and realism they would extend to a close companion. Hence, progress is allowed to be nonlinear, and stagnation is not framed as failure.
Family relationships have also undergone a radical change in Gen Z’s sphere. While family connections were traditionally governed by rigid roles, they are now being renegotiated. Generation Z is increasingly introducing concepts of emotional boundaries, mental health literacy, and mutual accountability into family systems. So, care has become reciprocal rather than hierarchical, and families have started functioning less as institutions and more as adaptive support networks.
Soul Zhang Lu’s researchers concluded that underlying all these changes is the shared objective to reduce psychological volatility. Generation Z is not expecting life to become stable in a traditional sense. Instead, young people are aiming to secure “minimum viable certainty”, with small, dependable points of emotional grounding.
While it would be easy to term this shift as evidence of emotional withdrawal or relational fatigue. The data from Soul Zhang Lu’s report suggests that Zoomers are deeply invested in connection, but on terms that reflect contemporary realities. Hence, it’s function over fantasy, clarity over performance, and sustainability over spectacle.
