Emotion Dynamics of Solitude: How Spending Time Alone Affects the Way We Experience and Manage Affect

Abstract

Whether we are meeting friends or scrolling through social media, we spend most of our time entrenched in social activity. This is not surprising, as people tend to happier when they are with others. But is it possible that spending time alone can also make us feel better in some situations? The goal of this dissertation is to explore how solitude affects the way we experience and regulate emotions in daily life. Through the lens of emotion dynamics, solitude is conceptualized as a context in which emotions are deactivated, such that solitude helps reduce heightened emotional arousal (e.g., stress, excitation). However, the effects of solitude on emotions may be different depending on how one spends their time alone and their dispositions toward solitude. This dissertation research uses a Bayesian approach to explore the situational and individual factors that underlie the emotion dynamics of solitude. Study 1 examined the relation between solitude and change in emotions over the course of a negative event. Study 2 examined how solitary activities modulate the relation between solitude and emotion. Finally, Study 3 uses an experience sampling paradigm to examine how solitude predicts emotion regulation strategy choice and effectiveness. Results are integrated into a larger contextual model that provides a deeper understanding of the complex relations between solitude and well-being.