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Updated: May 25, 2026

Loneliness Assuaged: Eye-Tracking an Audience Watching Barrage Videos
06:45

Loneliness Assuaged: Eye-Tracking an Audience Watching Barrage Videos

Published on: May 29, 2020

Is loneliness the same as being alone?

Daniel W Russell1, Carolyn E Cutrona, Cynthia McRae

  • 1Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-4380, USA. drussell@iastate.edu

The Journal of Psychology
|February 7, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Loneliness stems from a gap between desired and actual social connection. This study found this discrepancy, particularly regarding close friends, nonlinearly impacts teen loneliness and satisfaction.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Loneliness is often explained by the cognitive discrepancy model, where perceived differences between desired and actual social involvement trigger feelings of isolation.
  • Previous research has primarily focused on linear relationships within this model.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the nonlinear relationships between desired and actual social contact and loneliness in adolescents.
  • To extend the cognitive discrepancy model of loneliness by examining these nonlinear dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from a sample of high school sophomore students.
  • Employed statistical analyses to examine the nonlinear associations between social contact discrepancies and loneliness.
  • Controlled for the total number of close friends in the analyses.

Main Results:

  • The cognitive discrepancy model was supported specifically for measures of close friendships.
  • A nonlinear relationship was identified between the discrepancy in ideal versus actual close friends and loneliness.
  • This discrepancy also nonlinearly related to satisfaction with close friendships, even after controlling for the number of friends.

Conclusions:

  • The findings provide nuanced support for the cognitive discrepancy model, highlighting its nonlinear relevance to close friendships in adolescent loneliness.
  • Suggests that the *degree* of discrepancy, not just its presence, is crucial for understanding loneliness and friendship satisfaction.
  • Emphasizes the importance of considering nonlinear dynamics in theoretical models of social connection and psychological well-being.