Solitude and Loneliness Across the Lifespan
Gizem Hueluer, Jana Nikitin

TL;DR
This paper explores how solitude and loneliness change over a person's life and how they are influenced by media use, personal goals, aging, and life events.
Contribution
The paper introduces new insights into how solitude and loneliness are shaped by media, motivation, aging, and life transitions across the lifespan.
Findings
Digital gaming may influence social integration and loneliness in older adults.
Media use during solitude can affect feelings of loneliness differently depending on the type of media.
Situational solitude can be a chance to pursue personal goals, potentially reducing loneliness.
Abstract
Solitude and loneliness are complex, multifaceted experiences that shape individuals’ well-being across the lifespan. This symposium presents novel perspectives on how solitude and loneliness are shaped by media use, personal motivations, age related factors, and life transitions. Dwight Tse examines social integration and loneliness among older digital gamers, comparing them to non-gamers in a large-scale secondary data analysis of the UK Biobank. Gizem Hueluer presents findings from two experience sampling studies on media use during solitude, exploring how different forms of media consumption are related to loneliness. Jana Nikitin investigates situational solitude in an experimental study, framing it as an opportunity to pursue intrinsically motivated goals and examining its potential to reduce loneliness. Jennifer Lay examines age differences in the recall of solitude experiences.…
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Taxonomy
TopicsAging and Gerontology Research · Media Influence and Health · Technology Use by Older Adults
