Solitude and Loneliness Across the Lifespan

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. Iris Wahring analyzes loneliness during relationship transitions, conceptualizing solitude as a life situation. Together, these presentations provide key insights into how solitude intersects with media use, motivation, age-related factors, and life transitions in shaping loneliness, contributing to a deeper understanding of these interconnected phenomena across the lifespan.