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Solitude can be good—If you see it as such: Reappraisal helps lonely people experience solitude more positively.

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Title: Solitude can be good—If you see it as such: Reappraisal helps lonely people experience solitude more positively.
Authors: Rodriguez, Micaela (AUTHOR), Pratt, Samuel (AUTHOR), Bellet, Benjamin W. (AUTHOR), McNally, Richard J. (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Personality. Feb2025, Vol. 93 Issue 1, p118-135. 18p.
Subjects: Affect (Psychology), Solitude, Emotion regulation, Emotions, Loneliness, Anxiety
Abstract: Objective: Solitude is a common experience that can elicit both positive (e.g., relaxation) and negative (e.g., loneliness) emotions. But can changing the way we think about solitude improve its emotional effects? In a previous study, our team found that positively reframing solitude buffers against a reduction in positive affect when alone. Yet, it is unknown whether people who are lonely—and thus more likely to experience solitude negatively—benefit from modifying their beliefs about being alone. Method: Here, we test whether reframing solitude as a beneficial experience or de‐stigmatizing loneliness helps people experiencing moderate‐to‐severe loneliness (N = 224) feel more positive emotion and less negative emotion during solitude. We randomly assigned participants to read about either the benefits of solitude, the high prevalence of loneliness, or a control topic. Then, participants spent 10 min alone in the laboratory. State affect was assessed before and after the solitude period. Results: Across conditions, the solitude period reduced high‐arousal positive (e.g., excited) and high‐arousal negative (e.g., anxious) affect. Notably, people who read about the benefits of solitude experienced a significantly larger increase in low‐arousal positive affect compared with the control condition. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that lonely individuals can more readily reap the emotional benefits of solitude when they reframe solitude as an experience that can enhance their well‐being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Personality is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Solitude can be good—If you see it as such: Reappraisal helps lonely people experience solitude more positively.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rodriguez%2C+Micaela%22">Rodriguez, Micaela</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Pratt%2C+Samuel%22">Pratt, Samuel</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Bellet%2C+Benjamin+W%2E%22">Bellet, Benjamin W.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22McNally%2C+Richard+J%2E%22">McNally, Richard J.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Personality%22">Journal of Personality</searchLink>. Feb2025, Vol. 93 Issue 1, p118-135. 18p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Affect+%28Psychology%29%22">Affect (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Solitude%22">Solitude</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Emotion+regulation%22">Emotion regulation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Emotions%22">Emotions</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Loneliness%22">Loneliness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Anxiety%22">Anxiety</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Objective: Solitude is a common experience that can elicit both positive (e.g., relaxation) and negative (e.g., loneliness) emotions. But can changing the way we think about solitude improve its emotional effects? In a previous study, our team found that positively reframing solitude buffers against a reduction in positive affect when alone. Yet, it is unknown whether people who are lonely—and thus more likely to experience solitude negatively—benefit from modifying their beliefs about being alone. Method: Here, we test whether reframing solitude as a beneficial experience or de‐stigmatizing loneliness helps people experiencing moderate‐to‐severe loneliness (N = 224) feel more positive emotion and less negative emotion during solitude. We randomly assigned participants to read about either the benefits of solitude, the high prevalence of loneliness, or a control topic. Then, participants spent 10 min alone in the laboratory. State affect was assessed before and after the solitude period. Results: Across conditions, the solitude period reduced high‐arousal positive (e.g., excited) and high‐arousal negative (e.g., anxious) affect. Notably, people who read about the benefits of solitude experienced a significantly larger increase in low‐arousal positive affect compared with the control condition. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that lonely individuals can more readily reap the emotional benefits of solitude when they reframe solitude as an experience that can enhance their well‐being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Personality is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=182094856
RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1111/jopy.12887
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 18
        StartPage: 118
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      – SubjectFull: Affect (Psychology)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Solitude
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Emotion regulation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Emotions
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Loneliness
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      – SubjectFull: Anxiety
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      – TitleFull: Solitude can be good—If you see it as such: Reappraisal helps lonely people experience solitude more positively.
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            NameFull: Rodriguez, Micaela
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            NameFull: Pratt, Samuel
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            NameFull: Bellet, Benjamin W.
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              M: 02
              Text: Feb2025
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              Y: 2025
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