Space missions expose crews to months of isolation, confinement and extreme stress. An international study led by Jan Schmutz, professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Zurich, and Andrea Cantisani, psychiatrist and research associate at the University of Bern, has investigated how such conditions affect team dynamics during a ten-month overwintering mission at Concordia Station in Antarctica. The station is one of the most isolated places on Earth, where winter temperatures drop to as low as minus 80 °C. Because of its extreme isolation, it is considered one of the best real-world models for future long-duration missions to the Moon or Mars.
Frequent contact not automatically beneficial
During the ten-month mission, 12 crew members completed questionnaires at four different points in time. They also wore sensors that automatically recorded when and for how long they were in close proximity to one another. This allowed the researchers to track how social relationships, loneliness, mistrust, conflict, team cohesion and perceived performance evolved over the course of the mission.
One particularly striking finding was that greater physical proximity did not necessarily have a positive effect. People who had more frequent contact with other team members were more likely to report conflict, growing mistrust and reduced performance. The results suggest that in highly confined settings, not only isolation but also constant proximity can be a source of stress. "In small teams under extreme conditions, more contact doesn't automatically equate to social support, but can actually increase tensions," says Jan Schmutz. Because the analyses are correlational, no conclusions can be drawn about causality. It is possible, for example, that lonely individuals sought more contact but that these interactions were not sufficiently rewarding.
Subgroups emerged over time
The sensor data also revealed that the team increasingly divided into subgroups as the mission progressed. Crew members were more likely to seek out people who shared the same language or nationality. Such patterns can provide support and orientation in stressful situations. At the same time, however, they may increase the risk of social fragmentation and can weaken cohesion within multicultural teams.
Applicable to extreme environments
The study is particularly relevant for future long-duration space missions, on which small crews must live and work together for months or years with little privacy and limited contact with the outside world. However, the findings may also apply to other extreme environments, such as submarines, offshore oil platforms and remote research stations. "The results show how important it is to identify social dynamics early on and provide teams with targeted support," says Schmutz.
The study also demonstrated that wearable proximity sensors can function reliably even in extreme conditions. The sensors make it possible to track changes in the team's daily routine without significantly interfering with the crew's activities. Future research will examine more closely which social interactions help reduce stress and which may create additional strain.
Literature
Andrea Cantisani, Jan B. Schmutz et al. Social interactions in isolated, confined, and extreme environments: A study of Antarctic winter teams using wearable sensors. PNAS, 25 May, 2026. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2533420123
Contact
Prof. Dr. Jan B. Schmutz
Department of Psychology
University of Zurich
+41 44 635 72 44
