Implicit and Explicit Loneliness among Young Adults: The Role of Life Meaning

Abstract

Loneliness has become a common problem among adolescents and young adults, especially in COVID-19. Among various factors leading to increases of loneliness, one possible factor is the meaning of life. This study examines the prevalence of loneliness at both implicit and explicit levels, as well as the correlation between loneliness and the meaning of life. We conducted a sample survey of 36 Chinese international students on the Internet, and investigated their implicit and explicit loneliness and life significance. We found that young adults felt lonely at both implicit and explicit levels, and the meaning of life was negatively correlated with explicit loneliness, but not with implicit loneliness.This finding provides evidence that logotherapy and other meaning-related interventions may be effective interventions to reduce adolescent loneliness.