Reciprocal Influences Between Loneliness and Self-Centeredness: A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis in a Population-Based Sample of African American, Hispanic, and Caucasian Adults

Cacioppo, John T.; Chen, Hsi Yuan; Cacioppo, Stephanie

doi:10.1177/0146167217705120

Cited by 89 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Of further interest is the relationship between awe and prosocial behaviour demonstrated in previous research [14,43] showing that vast (nature) interactions can reduce self-centredness and instead make people feel more connected to others. In line with this notion, a longitudinal study revealed a relationship between self-centredness and loneliness [1]. These combined findings underscore the importance of stimulating awe and related feelings of connectedness with others and the world at large amongst people struggling with loneliness and social isolation.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

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Does Digital Nature Enhance Social Aspirations? An Experimental Study

Houwelingen-Snippe

Rompay

Jong

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Loneliness and social isolation are increasingly recognized as important challenges of our times. Inspired by research hinting at beneficial effects of interacting with nature on social connectedness and opportunities provided by ambient technology to simulate nature in a rich and engaging manner, this study explored to what extent digital nature projections can stimulate social aspirations and related emotions. To this end, participants (N = 96) were asked to watch, individually or in pairs, digital nature projections consisting of animated scenes which were either dense or spacious and depicting either wild or tended nature. Subsequently, they filled out a questionnaire comprising measures for social aspirations, awe and fascination. Results show that spacious scenes elicited significantly higher social aspiration and awe scores, especially when watching alone. Design implications are discussed for making digital nature accessible for people with limited access to real nature.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

“…Loneliness, both amongst young people and older adults, is increasingly recognized as a serious public health concern [1]. Apart from its negative effect on mood and (mental) wellbeing, loneliness can have serious effects on physical health, including greater risk of cardiovascular disease [2] and accelerated physiological decline [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Digital Nature Enhance Social Aspirations? An Experimental Study

Houwelingen-Snippe

Rompay

Jong

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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“…Feeling socially isolated or lonely is dangerous and threatening because of the lack of protection and assistance of others. This experience promotes an emphasis on short‐term self‐preservation, which includes increased hypervigilance for social threats and increased self‐focus or self‐centeredness, that is, a heightened concern for one's own interests . This concern may lead lonely people to avoid others to protect themselves from further rejection, as well as feel less desire to affiliate, which causes them to miss out on opportunities for reconnection and rewarding social interactions .…”

Section: Emergence and Maintenance Of Lonelinessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Loneliness in Adolescence: Insights From Cacioppo's Evolutionary Model

Goossens

2018

Child Dev Perspectives

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Adolescents are often thought to be lonely because they distance themselves from their parents and are not fully integrated into the social world of their peers. Cacioppo's evolutionary model of loneliness, which has been applied primarily to adults, offers a complementary perspective. This model explains not only how feelings of loneliness emerge, but also how they are maintained. It also explains how loneliness can affect physiological functioning and health, and can spur changes in how people process information in the brain, as well as how genetic factors can affect loneliness. In this article, I use recent research to illustrate how the model sheds new light on loneliness in adolescence. I also suggest a comprehensive model of adolescent loneliness that combines key aspects of Cacioppo's evolutionary model with elements of other models.Loneliness refers to the negative emotions (e.g., feeling left out or abandoned) that emerge when people perceive their social relationships to be deficient. For several reasons, this emotional experience tends to be prevalent in adolescence. One reason is that loneliness is linked to the social reorientation process of adolescence (1, 2). During this process, parents tend to occupy a less central place in adolescents' lives while peers become more important. Particularly during early adolescence, when young people have distanced themselves psychologically from their parents and have not yet found their place in the social world of their age mates, some teenagers can feel very lonely. This view inspires most studies on adolescent loneliness, so they concentrate on how the social challenges of adolescence lead to loneliness.Although still a viable perspective, this view on loneliness can be complemented by other theories. One theory is Cacioppo's evolutionary model of loneliness (3). In this article, I describe the basic tenets of this model and illustrate, through recent research, how this model, which has been applied primarily to adults, sheds new light on loneliness in adolescence. In this research, loneliness is captured by well-established selfreport measures, such as the UCLA Loneliness Scale (4). In the final section of the article, I suggest a comprehensive model of adolescent loneliness that combines aspects of Cacioppo's evolutionary model with elements of other models. Both the studies I review and the comprehensive model I propose can also deepen our understanding of changes in adolescents' relationships with their parents and peers. CACIOPPO'S EVOLUTIONARY MODEL OF LONELINESS AS APPLIED TO ADOLESCENCECacioppo's evolutionary model of loneliness is based on assumptions regarding the role that lonely feelings have played in our evolution. This model offers a coherent view of four aspects of loneliness. It explains how feelings of loneliness emerge and are maintained over time, how loneliness can affect physiological functioning and health, how loneliness changes how people process information in the brain, and how genetic factors can affect loneliness. When applied t...

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“…Loneliness, defined as a discrepancy between one’s desired and achieved levels of social connectedness [ 1 ], has been found to impact behavioral processes related to attention, executive function, and social cognition (for review, see [ 2 ]). Recently, it has been hypothesized that loneliness may also influence preferences for interpersonal distance, that is, the preferred space between people in proximal space [ 3 , 4 ]. Interpersonal distance corresponds to "an area with an invisible boundary surrounding a person's body, into which intruders may not come" [ 5 ] (see also [ 6 ]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Loneliness predicts a preference for larger interpersonal distance within intimate space

Layden

Cacioppo

2018

PLoS ONE

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Loneliness is thought to serve as an adaptive signal indicating the need to repair or replace salutary social connections. Accordingly, loneliness may influence preferences for interpersonal distance. If loneliness simply motivates a desire to socially reconnect, then loneliness may be associated with a preference for smaller interpersonal distances. According to the evolutionary model of loneliness, however, loneliness also signals an inadequacy of mutual aid and protection, augmenting self-preservation motives. If loneliness both increases the motivation to reconnect and increases the motivation for self-protection, then the resulting approach-avoidance conflict should produce a preference for larger interpersonal distance, at least within intimate (i.e., proximal) space. Here, we report two survey-based studies of participants’ preferences for interpersonal distance to distinguish between these competing hypotheses. In Study 1 (N = 175), loneliness predicted preferences for larger interpersonal distance within intimate space net gender, objective social isolation, anxiety, depressive symptomatology, and marital status. In Study 2 (N = 405), we replicated these results, and mediation analyses indicated that measures of social closeness could not adequately explain our findings. These studies provide compelling evidence that loneliness predicts preferences for larger interpersonal distance within intimate space, consistent with predictions from the evolutionary model of loneliness.

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Reciprocal Influences Between Loneliness and Self-Centeredness: A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis in a Population-Based Sample of African American, Hispanic, and Caucasian Adults

Cited by 89 publications

References 40 publications

Does Digital Nature Enhance Social Aspirations? An Experimental Study

Does Digital Nature Enhance Social Aspirations? An Experimental Study

Loneliness in Adolescence: Insights From Cacioppo's Evolutionary Model

Loneliness predicts a preference for larger interpersonal distance within intimate space

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