Loneliness and inducing incremental theories of social interactions to produce adaptive change
Year: 2018
Type: article
Abstract: College students (n = 388) participated in a two‐part online study (a survey and an experiment) examining the role of implicit theories in the experience of loneliness. Survey results revealed that lonely people tend to endorse entity theories of social competence and friendship. Experimental results showed that inducing an incremental theory of social competence reduced communication apprehension and increased social engagement among individuals regardless of their levels of loneliness. Inducing an incremental theory of friendship increased social engagement but did not influence the level of communication apprehension or social avoidance. Overall, the results suggest that an incremental theory of social interactions can reduce thoughts that are not conducive to fostering social connections among people in general, including lonely ones.
Source: Personal Relationships
DOI: 10.1111/pere.12250
Author: Emiko Taniguchi
Institution: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funder: University of Texas at Austin
OpenAlex ID: W2885529030