Abstract
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 However, lonely individuals seem to be less likely to engage in prosocial activities and are overall more socially withdrawn.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.
Highlights
Loneliness is a central predictor of depression and major factor of all-cause mortality
Results show that lonelier individuals believe others to be less fair (β = − 0.11; standard error (SE) = 0.006; p < 0.0001) and trustworthy (β = − 0.05; SE = 0.006; p < 0.0001) and felt less compelled to comply with a reciprocity norm (β = − 0.02; SE = 0.007; p < 0.006; Fig. 1 and Table 1)
This study investigates for the first time the relationships between loneliness, prosocial attitudes and individual expectations about social partners
Summary
Loneliness is a central predictor of depression and major factor of all-cause mortality. Lonely individuals indicate stronger altruistic attitudes, suggesting a positive tendency to build and maintain social bonds They report more negative expectations about others, as they believe their social partners be less fair and trustworthy, suggesting less favorable evaluations of social interactions. Feelings of loneliness are a specific risk factor for depression and a genetic predisposition toward loneliness is associated with cardiovascular, psychiatric, and metabolic d isorders[25,26] These studies have left unexplored the associations between loneliness, prosocial attitudes and individual expectations about social partners. Previous studies have shown a close link between individual expectations and mental health, as expectations of social rejection have been associated with depression, anxiety, and borderline personality d isorder[27,28], and expectations of hopelessness and self suicidal behavior have been observed to predict actual future suicidal b ehavior[29,30]. If loneliness heightens negative expectations about social interactions, greater feelings of loneliness should relate to less favorable expectations about others (e.g., their fairness)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
