Gender Differences in Loneliness across the Lifespan: A Meta–Analysis

Maes, Marlies; Qualter, Pamela; Vanhalst, Janne; Noortgate, Wim Van den; Goossens, Luc

doi:10.1002/per.2220

Cited by 253 publications

(226 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Intriguingly, these results are in line with previous evidence suggesting that gender differences in altruistic behaviors might be related to differences in feelings of loneliness. In particular, consistent with previous evidence (e.g., 55 , 56 , but see also: 57 ), in the current work, women reported to feel lonelier than men and such difference in feelings of loneliness might explain why women tend to be more altruistic than men 58 . However, it has to be noted that differences between men and women in both reported feelings of loneliness and altruistic behaviors might be due to internalized sex roles expectations.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Positive attitudes and negative expectations in lonely individuals

Bellucci

2020

Sci Rep

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Loneliness is a central predictor of depression and major factor of all-cause mortality. Loneliness is supposed to be a warning signal prompting individuals to seek out social connections. However, lonely individuals seem to be less likely to engage in prosocial activities and are overall more socially withdrawn. Hence, it is yet unclear whether and how loneliness affects an individual’s social motivations. Prosocial attitudes and expectations about social interactions of lonely individuals might shed light on whether lonely individuals are more prone to connect or withdraw from social activities. Here, results from a large dataset (~ 15,500 individuals) provide evidence for both. In particular, lonely individuals indicate stronger altruistic attitudes, suggesting a positive tendency to build and maintain social bonds. However, they also report more negative expectations about others, as they believe their social partners be less fair and trustworthy, suggesting less favorable evaluations of social interactions. By highlighting an important link between loneliness, prosocial attitudes and social expectations, this work stresses the role of loneliness in social motivations, points to potential consequences for social behaviors, and proposes a mechanism for the paradoxical effects of loneliness on an individual’s social attitudes and expectations, with important implications for future basic and clinical research, as well as education, economics and public policy.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Positive attitudes and negative expectations in lonely individuals

Bellucci

2020

Sci Rep

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“…Moreover, the correlation based on the small sample size of 22 was far from decisive. Although Study 2 (N = 243) confirmed the negative association between loneliness and relationship value upregulation, it might have been still underpowered to detect some moderation effects, such as gender difference: A recent metaanalytic review revealed that gender difference in loneliness is small (Hedge's g = .08; Maes et al, 2019). Given these problems associated with the current study, we refrain from drawing any strong conclusions about the loneliness-insensitivity to commitment signal association.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Role of the Orbitofrontal Cortex in the Computation of Relationship Value

Ohtsubo

Morikura

Himichi

et al. 2020

Social Neuroscience

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This research investigated whether the medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), which is known to code the value of various rewards, is involved in the relationship value recalibration process. Previous research suggests that people upregulate the relationship value of a specific friend in response to the friend's commitment signals. In a functional magnetic resonance imaging study (Study 1), participants imagined receiving high-cost commitment signals, low-cost commitment signals, or no signals from a particular friend. Participants' subjective rating of the relationship value upregulation was positively correlated with medial OFC activity. Subtraction analyses showed that highcost commitment signals engaged the medial OFC more than did signal failures. An auxiliary analysis revealed that medial OFC activity in response to low-cost commitment signals was negatively correlated with loneliness. To follow-up these findings, we conducted an online vignette study (Study 2), in which participants rated the relationship value of a real friend before and after imagining receiving a series of low-cost commitment signals from that friend. Corroborating the upregulation hypothesis, perceived relationship value significantly increased after imagining a series of commitment signals. This effect was weaker among individuals high in loneliness.

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“…Some studies report that females are lonelier than males [19,20], whereas others show that loneliness is more prevalent among males [13,21]. However, a recent meta-analysis found no gender differences in loneliness among adults [22] In addition to demographic factors, several social factors have been associated with loneliness including living alone [16], having a smaller social network [23], lacking social support and low frequency of social contacts, e.g. seeing friends [24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age differences in demographic, social and health-related factors associated with loneliness across the adult life span (19–65 years): a cross-sectional study in the Netherlands

et al. 2020

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Background: Recognition of loneliness as a health concern among adults stresses the need to understand the factors associated with loneliness. Research into factors of influence in the various phases of the adult life span (19-65 years) is scarce. Therefore, the associations between demographic, social and health-related factors and loneliness among young (19-34 years), early middle-aged (35-49 years) and late middle-aged adults (50-65 years) were explored. Methods: A secondary analysis with a large cross-sectional dataset was performed. Data was collected from September to December 2016 in the Netherlands, by a self-report survey. Loneliness was measured using the De Jong-Gierveld Loneliness Scale. In total, 26,342 adults (19-65 years) participated (response rate: 34%). Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to examine associations between demographic, social and health-related factors as independent variables, and loneliness as dependent variable among the three age groups. Results: Prevalence of loneliness among young, early and late middle-aged adults was 39.7, 43.3 and 48.2%, respectively. Living alone, frequency of neighbour contact, perceived social exclusion, psychological distress, psychological and emotional wellbeing were consistently associated with loneliness across the groups. The association between ethnicity and loneliness was stronger among young and early middle-aged adults, compared to late middle-aged adults. Young adults showed the strongest association between contact frequency with friends and loneliness. The strength of association between financial imbalance and loneliness gradually decreased from young to late middle-aged adults. Educational level was associated with loneliness among young adults only, while an association between employment status and loneliness was found solely among early middle-aged adults. For late middle-aged adults only, perceived health was associated with loneliness. Frequency of family contact was associated with loneliness, only among early and late middle-aged adults.

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Gender Differences in Loneliness across the Lifespan: A Meta–Analysis

Cited by 253 publications

References 63 publications

Positive attitudes and negative expectations in lonely individuals

Positive attitudes and negative expectations in lonely individuals

Role of the Orbitofrontal Cortex in the Computation of Relationship Value

Age differences in demographic, social and health-related factors associated with loneliness across the adult life span (19–65 years): a cross-sectional study in the Netherlands

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