The effects of lack of meaning on trait and state loneliness: Correlational and experience-sampling evidence

Abstract

Do we feel particularly lonely when we find what we are doing as pointless? A two-part study was conducted to examine the association between perceived meaning of an activity and loneliness. Part I was a cross-sectional study with 243 participants (Mage = 19.3, SD = 1.66, 70.8% female). The results demonstrate that meaningful life engagement was negatively associated with trait loneliness (β = −0.407, p < .001), controlling for age, gender, and personality. In Part II, 148 participants completed an experience-sampling task (Mage = 19.2, SD = 1.75, 73.0% female). Across seven consecutive days, participants were prompted by a smartphone app to fill out a questionnaire at multiple random time points per day. Results from multilevel modeling indicated that situational meaningfulness was a negative predictor of state loneliness (B = −0.057, SE = 0.026, p = .027), above and beyond age, gender, personality, meaningful life engagement, trait loneliness, day of the week, aloneness, and state boredom. Together these findings suggest there is an association between the meaninglessness of an activity and the feeling of loneliness.