Ambiguity potentiates effects of loneliness on feelings of rejection

Bibliographic Data

ID7149928
AuthorsAnita Restrepo (0000-0003-1185-8873, University of Chicago, corresponding author), Karen E Smith (0000-0002-6689-7346, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey), Emily M Silver (0000-0002-2456-1481, University of Chicago), Greg Norman (0000-0003-2899-3238, University of Chicago)
Year2025
Volume39
Issue3
Pages693-703
Publication date2025-04-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueCognition & Emotion (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0269-9931 • E-ISSN: 1464-0600
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02699931.2024.2385006
PMID39093061
OpenAlexW4401252939
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited67

For social species, having strong and high-quality social relationships is an important safety cue. Loneliness occurs when an individual perceives they have insufficient relationships resulting in feelings of lack of safety. States of perceived unsafety are linked to an increased tendency to construe ambiguous information - information lacking a unique clear interpretation - as threatening. Here, we explore whether the ambiguity of social cues of interpersonal rejection moderates effects of loneliness on feelings of rejection while undergoing social exclusion. Data were collected in 2021; 144 adults completed a progressive social exclusion paradigm where they were randomly assigned to be equally included, excluded, or over-included. Social exclusion/inclusion cues became more pronounced over the course of multiple rounds of a ball-tossing game (Cyberball) resulting in a scenario where ambiguity was highest in earlier rounds and decreased over time. Participants reported feelings of loneliness prior to the task and feelings of rejection throughout the task. Results demonstrated that higher loneliness predicted increased feelings of rejection regardless of exclusion condition. Notably, this positive relationship was strongest during earlier rounds when social cues were most ambiguous. These findings contribute to our understanding of how loneliness modulates social perception to enable organisms to adequately adapt to changing circumstances

Ambiguity · Developmental psychology · Feeling · Interpersonal communication · Loneliness · Perception · Psychotherapist · Social exclusion · Social isolation · Social rejection · Social relation · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology

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