TY - JOUR
T1 - Loneliness within a nomological net
T2 - An evolutionary perspective
AU - Cacioppo, John T.
AU - Hawkley, Louise C.
AU - Ernst, John M.
AU - Burleson, Mary
AU - Berntson, Gary G.
AU - Nouriani, Bita
AU - Spiegel, David
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding was provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the National Institute of Aging Grant No. PO1 AG18911. The author’s gratefully acknowledge the suggestions of Bill Patrick and the contributions to this project by Ray Kowalewski, Alisa Paulsen, and the staff of the Ohio State University General Clinical Research Center. Jacqueline Frede, Kathryn Palmer, and Emily Maxwell provided additional assistance. We also thank Steve Kremer and the Ohio State University Office of Residence Life.
Copyright:
Copyright 2006 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2006/12
Y1 - 2006/12
N2 - Loneliness is characterized by feelings of social pain and isolation and has both heritable and unshared environmental underpinnings. An evolutionary theory of loneliness is outlined, and four studies replicate and extend prior research on the characteristics of lonely individuals. Studies 1 and 2 indicate that loneliness and depressed affect are related but separable constructs. Study 3 confirms that lonely, relative to nonlonely, young adults are higher in anxiety, anger, negative mood, and fear of negative evaluation, and lower in optimism, social skills, social support, positive mood, surgency, emotional stability, conscientiousness, agreeableness, shyness, and sociability. The set of six personality factors associated with loneliness (surgency, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness, shyness, and sociability) do not explain the associations between loneliness and negative mood, anxiety, anger, optimism (pessimism), self-esteem, and social support, as each association remained statistically significant even after statistically controlling for these personality factors. Study 4 used hypnosis to experimentally manipulate loneliness to determine whether there were associated changes in the participants' personality and socioemotional characteristics. Results confirmed that loneliness can influence the participants' personality ratings and socioemotional states.
AB - Loneliness is characterized by feelings of social pain and isolation and has both heritable and unshared environmental underpinnings. An evolutionary theory of loneliness is outlined, and four studies replicate and extend prior research on the characteristics of lonely individuals. Studies 1 and 2 indicate that loneliness and depressed affect are related but separable constructs. Study 3 confirms that lonely, relative to nonlonely, young adults are higher in anxiety, anger, negative mood, and fear of negative evaluation, and lower in optimism, social skills, social support, positive mood, surgency, emotional stability, conscientiousness, agreeableness, shyness, and sociability. The set of six personality factors associated with loneliness (surgency, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness, shyness, and sociability) do not explain the associations between loneliness and negative mood, anxiety, anger, optimism (pessimism), self-esteem, and social support, as each association remained statistically significant even after statistically controlling for these personality factors. Study 4 used hypnosis to experimentally manipulate loneliness to determine whether there were associated changes in the participants' personality and socioemotional characteristics. Results confirmed that loneliness can influence the participants' personality ratings and socioemotional states.
KW - Depression
KW - Hypnosis
KW - Loneliness
KW - Personality
KW - Self-esteem
KW - Social support
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jrp.2005.11.007
DO - 10.1016/j.jrp.2005.11.007
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:33750802947
SN - 0092-6566
VL - 40
SP - 1054
EP - 1085
JO - Journal of Research in Personality
JF - Journal of Research in Personality
IS - 6
ER -