Work

The phenotype of loneliness

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: Goossens' (in press) review nicely maps the progression of scientific research from its early focus on loneliness as a dysphoric state that results from the discrepancy between a person's ideal and actual social relationships to its current emphasis on the centrality of loneliness to our very nature as a social species, and he argues that developmental science throughout Europe has a great deal to contribute to our understanding of this construct. He concludes that psychologists should care about research on loneliness for five reasons: (i) it is a well-defined phenotype, (ii) it shows both high stability and individual differences in rates of change across years, (iii) it has adaptive value and evolutionary significance, (iv) it has a genetic substrate that is moderated by social environments, and (v) it has self-maintaining features that can lead to adverse mental health outcomes. Goossen's (2012) review is rife with information and ideas. We focus here on two additional important reasons and on the phenotype of loneliness.

Source: European Journal of Developmental Psychology

DOI: 10.1080/17405629.2012.690510

Authors: John T. Cacioppo, Stephanie Cacioppo

Institutions: University of Chicago, University of Geneva

Language: English

Topic: Health disparities and outcomes

Subfield: Health

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging

Awards: Social Isolation, Loneliness, Health &the Aging Process, Social Regulation of Gene Expression, G4269275524, The Integrative Social Relations, Health and Aging Project