Having time to oneself in times of extended togetherness: Solitude experiences during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract

This study investigated how time to oneself (solitude) is experienced under conditions of extended togetherness with household members during the pandemic. Both structural (living arrangements) and qualitative characteristics (relationship quality and conflict) were examined for their association with solitude desire and daily solitude–affect links. We expected that people living with others and those with more high‐quality as well as those with more conflictual relationships would report better affect quality when experiencing solitude. A Canadian adult lifespan sample (N = 141; Mage = 38.43 years, SDage = 17.51; 81% female; 73% White; data collected from April to August 2020) provided information on household size and relationship characteristics and completed repeated daily life assessments of solitude desire, solitude, and affect. Findings show that living arrangements were not associated with an increased desire for solitude or better affect quality from solitude. Individuals reporting higher relationship quality and individuals reporting more conflict showed more favorable affect quality on days when they had time in solitude than individuals reporting lower quality relationships and lower conflict. Findings add to the growing solitude literature by delineating who seeks and benefits from solitude, and under what conditions.

Understanding and overcoming challenges in times of personal or global crisis—Editorial on the Special Issue on Loneliness and Health

“…Research on loneliness also needs to consider cultural differences and should therefore be conducted in different settings, cultures, and countries . For instance, even if the mechanisms of household size and characteristics of relationships appear generalizable, an adult lifespan sample as the one investigated in Canada (Choi et al, 2023), with a rather individualistic culture, might yield different research findings as compared to samples from more collectivistic countries (e.g., China; see further Li et al, 2023; Sun et al, 2023). Also, the well‐being of 13‐ to 19‐year‐old individuals in the UK may develop differently compared to other age groups in other countries (Cohen et al, 2023).…”

“…For example, Peplau's and Perlman's discrepancy model of loneliness was used remarkably by Iyer et al (2023). The evolutionary theory of loneliness (Hawkley & Cacioppo, 2010) was used exemplarily by Beller (2023), Keller et al (2023), Fan et al (2023), and Choi et al (2023). Many theories are based on evolutionary principles, such as Slavich's (2020) social safety theory —a biologically based perspective on the notion that humans primarily seek to keep their body safe, evolutionarily eliciting a fundamental human drive to create and maintain friendly social bonds (for instance, mentioned in Cohen et al, 2023).…”

“…A contribution to the special issue also refers to Balliet and colleagues' (2017) functional interdependence theory , an evolutionary account for social situations. Another “opposite of loneliness” studied in this special issue is voluntary solitude (or time to oneself ) supposedly striven for after extensive periods of togetherness or negative social experiences according to social approach and avoidance motivation theory (going back to Elliot et al, 2006, which is further explained by Nikitin & Schoch, 2021, and used by Choi et al, 2023).…”

“…In addition, the role of environmental factors such as the COVID‐19 pandemic and measures to prevent the spread of the virus on loneliness are notable. Choi et al (2023) effectively investigated this and found evidence for the interrelation. These findings are important when making decisions about whom (e.g., women and younger people) to target in interventions and policy changes and how to implement these.…”

“…However, loneliness can also be a motivation to reach out to other people and mobilize social support or repair interactions, social cohesion, and thereby buffer health limitations. Although being in a state of voluntary solitude for some time (further explored in Choi et al, 2023) can have positive effects on an individual's personal development (e.g., by allowing recovery and creativity), not feeling truly understood and connected to other people, even in a group setting, may result in the adverse effect of feeling lonely.…”