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Loneliness across the life span.

Pamela Qualter1, Janne Vanhalst2, Rebecca Harris3

  • 1School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, United Kingdom PQualter@uclan.ac.uk.

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Summary

Loneliness often stems from social isolation, triggering a reaffiliation motive (RAM) to reconnect. This review examines how RAM changes across life, why it sometimes fails, and discusses interventions for prolonged loneliness.

Keywords:
affiliationdevelopmentevolutionary mechanismhypervigilancelife spanlonelinessprevalencesocial withdrawal

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Loneliness is a common human experience, often transient due to an innate drive to reconnect.
  • The evolutionary theory of loneliness posits a reaffiliation motive (RAM) triggered by social isolation.
  • Understanding RAM across the lifespan is crucial for addressing persistent loneliness.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present a lifespan perspective on the reaffiliation motive (RAM) within the evolutionary theory of loneliness.
  • To explore developmental changes in RAM and identify reasons for its failure across different life stages.
  • To discuss age-appropriate interventions for prolonged loneliness.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review synthesizing existing research on loneliness and the reaffiliation motive.
  • Analysis of developmental psychology literature to understand age-related changes in social connection motivations.
  • Examination of factors contributing to the failure of RAM across the lifespan.

Main Results:

  • The reaffiliation motive (RAM) is a key component of loneliness, motivating reconnection after perceived social isolation.
  • RAM's effectiveness and manifestation vary significantly across different developmental stages.
  • Failure of RAM can occur due to various factors, leading to chronic or prolonged loneliness.

Conclusions:

  • The reaffiliation motive (RAM) plays a critical role in navigating social isolation throughout life.
  • Understanding developmental trajectories of RAM failure is essential for effective loneliness interventions.
  • Targeted, age-appropriate interventions can help individuals overcome prolonged loneliness by supporting their reaffiliation efforts.