From being alone to being the only one: Neuroticism is associated with an egocentric shift in an alone context

Uziel, Liad; Seemann, Martina; Schmidt-Barad, Tomer

doi:10.1111/jopy.12494

Cited by 15 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 77 publications

(144 reference statements)

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“…Such expectations might reflect more pronounced negative evaluations of social interactions in lonely individuals. These results chime with previous evidence showing that loneliness disrupts trust in others, cooperation and an individual’s sense of community 11 , 36 , 37 . In particular, a bias to negatively evaluate social interactions and social partners might induce negative attitudes (e.g., avoidance behavior) and negative affect (e.g., frustration and demotivation) that foster social withdrawal 3 , 38 .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Positive attitudes and negative expectations in lonely individuals

Bellucci

2020

Sci Rep

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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 However, lonely individuals seem to be less likely to engage in prosocial activities and are overall more socially withdrawn.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.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Positive attitudes and negative expectations in lonely individuals

Bellucci

2020

Sci Rep

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“…Do social interactions increase ESWB compared with periods of aloneness? The extant literature associates stable social relations with greater subjective well-being (Diener & Seligman, 2002), but findings are less conclusive for episodic social interactions (Uziel et al, 2020). The results of the present research coincide with the intricacy of the effect and provide directions toward understanding when and how episodic interactions affect well-being.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 52%

“…Moreover, these findings imply that internal (i.e., non-contextual) factors play a significant role in shaping the effects of aloneness. Indeed, the literature has begun identifying relevant factors, such as personality traits (Uziel, 2016;Uziel et al, 2020), preferences and desires (Coplan et al, 2019;Leary et al, 2003), and developmental periods (Larson et al, 1985).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, in Kahneman et al (2004), social interactions were both among the most likable daily activities (e.g., intimate relations), but also among the least likable activities (e.g., caring for one's children), indicating that social contacts carry a mixed bag of effects. Uziel et al (2020) found no direct relation between momentary social context (alone/'with others') and reported happiness, whereas Rook (1984) highlighted potential destructive effects of negative daily contacts on ESWB (see also Rafaeli et al, 2008). Taken together, research focusing on real-life experiences shows that social interactions may be conducive to ESWB, but the experience is subjected to substantial variations that need to be better understood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Time alone arises in these studies as an opportunity to relax, regulate emotions, and reflect on one's life, thus enhancing and consolidating one's selfhood (Coplan & Bowker, 2014;Long & Averill, 2003;Nguyen et al, 2018;Pauly et al, 2018;Uziel, 2021). The factors that determine the nature of the alone experience are the focus of emerging yet still indecisive research (Coplan et al, 2019;Lay et al, 2018;Uziel et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Choice Matters More with Others: Choosing to be with Other People is More Consequential to Well-Being than Choosing to be Alone

Uziel

Schmidt-Barad

2022

J Happiness Stud

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Stable social relationships are conducive to well-being. However, similar effects are not reported consistently for daily social interactions in affecting episodic (experiential) subjective well-being (ESWB). The present investigation suggests that the choice of being in a social context plays an important moderating role, such that social interactions increase ESWB only if taken place by one's choice. Moreover, it is argued that choice matters more in a social context than in an alone context because experiences with others are amplified. These ideas were tested and supported in two studies: An experiment that manipulated social context and choice status, and a 10-day experience-sampling study, which explored these variables in real-life settings. Results showed that being with others by one’s choice had the strongest positive association with ESWB, sense of meaning, and control, whereas being with others not by one’s choice—the strongest negative association with ESWB. Effects of being alone on ESWB also varied by choice status, but to a lesser extent. The findings offer theoretical and practical insights into the effects of the social environment on well-being.

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The true self in reflections? Visual self‐recognition and the Big Five

Stephan,

Walker

2024

Euro J Social Psych

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Typically, individuals are motivated to see themselves in a flattering light regarding their physical and personality characteristics. We suggest that visual self‐perception is anchored in the true self which is largely the self‐enhancing self, and may also reflect the privileged access to one's traits and internal states. Here, we examine the impact and limits of self‐enhancement motivation and egocentric bias on individuals’ recognition of variations of their portraits in terms of the Big Five personality dimensions. We predict that individuals recognise themselves better in positively altered portraits, namely, portraits looking more agreeable, conscientious and open. We also predict that self‐enhancement is anchored in reality: Individuals recognise themselves less in strongly altered than in slightly or non‐altered portraits. In Study 1, we measure the directions of self‐recognition distortions by investigating in which random variations of their portraits individuals recognise themselves. In Study 2, relying on a mouse tracking paradigm, we additionally measure the degree of distortion, and the conflict individuals experience during the self‐recognition task. Results of both studies mainly demonstrate self‐recognition distortions towards agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness and neuroticism. Moreover, results from Study 2 reveal that self‐recognition is anchored in reality. Findings of two studies applying different methods convergently show systematic biases in self‐recognition regarding the Big Five dimensions, both enriching understanding of the self‐enhancement processes and demonstrating that the methods applied might be useful for future research focusing on self‐recognition.

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From being alone to being the only one: Neuroticism is associated with an egocentric shift in an alone context

Cited by 15 publications

References 77 publications

Positive attitudes and negative expectations in lonely individuals

Positive attitudes and negative expectations in lonely individuals

Choice Matters More with Others: Choosing to be with Other People is More Consequential to Well-Being than Choosing to be Alone

The true self in reflections? Visual self‐recognition and the Big Five

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