Dynamics Of Loneliness

This study investigates the dynamics of loneliness in everyday life. Most research on loneliness has relied on cross-sectional methods, limiting researchers’ ability to capture how loneliness fluctuates over time. Furthermore, no studies to date have explored the relationship between traditional trait-based loneliness measures and momentary loneliness experiences in daily life. This research aims to address this gap by examining how loneliness varies both between and within individuals, and by exploring the relationship between trait measures of loneliness via the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russell et al., 1996) and state fluctuations in loneliness throughout daily life. Trait and state measures are not redundant. They appear to capture partially distinct content and processes, such as self-concept, retrospective biases, density distributions of behavior, and contextual sensitivity (e.g., Richard Lucas et al., 2020; Ruthann Atkinson et al., 2019; Andreas Neubauer et al., 2019). Examining their association therefore allows us to test both their convergence and their distinctiveness.