Loneliness is both a personal issue and a growing public health challenge. Research by Lameese Eldesouky, Assistant Professor of Psychology at the American University of Cairo (AUC), Amit Goldenberg, Assistant Professor at Harvard Business School and Faculty PI in D^3’s Digital Emotions Lab, and Kate Ellis, Professor of Psychology at AUC, described in their paper, “Loneliness and Emotion Regulation in Daily Life,” reveals that loneliness is linked to how people regulate their emotions every day. Understanding how emotional regulation strategies play a role in fostering or combating loneliness can suggest potential ways leaders can enhance employee well-being.
The study was conducted with a group of 166 Egyptian adults who were asked about loneliness (How lonely do you feel right now?’ (1 = not at all; 5 = extremely)) and emotion regulation (ER) (“Since the last survey, I managed my emotions by suppression, reappraisal, or positive reframing (please choose which most applies)?) five times daily across two weeks. Relationship status and social context were also considered as part of the control measures in each survey.
Key Insight: Loneliness Reduces Social Sharing of Emotions
“Lonelier individuals have minimal social resources, including reduced access to people they feel socially safe with and few positive social interactions.” [1]
The study found that individuals who feel lonely are less likely to engage in social sharing, a key emotion regulation strategy where people discuss their feelings with others. Social sharing is essential for strengthening social bonds, as it allows individuals to express emotions. Also important are social resources – access to people who individuals trust and feel comfortable with. Social resources and cognitive resources, such as attention control and executive functioning, are two major resources that can shape people’s ER strategies.
Key Insight: Loneliness Increases Rumination
“[P]eople who felt lonelier on average [previously] were more likely to ruminate later.” [2]
The research indicates that loneliness leads to increased rumination – a tendency to dwell on negative thoughts. This rumination often exacerbates feelings of loneliness, contributing to further social anxiety and avoidance of relationships. Over time, this can create a negative feedback loop where loneliness leads to rumination, which in turn fuels further loneliness and social disconnection.
Key Insight: Suppression and Loneliness Are Not Linked
“[P]eople were not more likely to suppress their emotions when feeling lonely. Thus, people might still express emotions, even without discussing them.” [3]
Using an ecological momentary assessment (EMA), the study found no significant within-person (how an individual’s behavior varies across contexts) relationship between loneliness and suppression – where individuals avoid expressing emotions. The relationship between loneliness and suppression had previously been studied in between-person (how people differ from one another) contexts, and was found to be related to fewer social resources and connections and lower relationship quality. That is, suppression was observed in chronic loneliness but not in moment-to-moment behavior in daily life. Lonely individuals might have a broader tendency to use suppression over time, but this isn’t necessarily activated in every lonely moment.
Key Insight: Cognitive Reappraisal and Positive Reframing Show Little Impact
“Social sharing, reappraisal, and positive reframing did not predict loneliness.” [4]
The extent to which, on a day-to-day basis, a person engaged in social sharing and cognitive reappraisal (positive reframing to view a situation in a better light) was not shown to affect the degree to which that individual felt lonely in their day-to-day life. That said, the study does suggest that lonely individuals might, overall, be less likely to utilize these cognitive and social resources.
Why This Matters
For business professionals and C-suite executives, understanding the dynamics between loneliness and emotion regulation can help to contribute to a healthy, productive workforce. The research suggests that social resources and social sharing are especially important for loneliness. Without social resources and connections, some individuals may resort to suppression and rumination, while having access to social resources may encourage cognitive reappraisal and positive reframing through other voices and perspectives. By being aware of loneliness and emotional regulation strategies, leaders can gain insight into their employees and teams.
References
[1] Lameese Eldesouky, Amit Goldenberg, and Kate Ellis, “Loneliness and Emotion Regulation in Daily Life”, Personality and Individual Differences (2024): 1-6, 2.
[2] Eldesouky, Goldenberg, and Ellis, “Loneliness and Emotion Regulation in Daily Life”, 3.
[3] Eldesouky, Goldenberg, and Ellis, “Loneliness and Emotion Regulation in Daily Life”, 4.
[4] Eldesouky, Goldenberg, and Ellis, “Loneliness and Emotion Regulation in Daily Life”, 3.
Meet the Authors
Lameese Eldesouky is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at The American University in Cairo. Her specialization is in Social and Personality Psychology. Her research interests include the factors that predict how people regulate their emotions, the consequences of emotion regulation for social functioning and health, and how to effectively measure emotion regulation.
Amit Goldenberg is an assistant professor in the Negotiation Organization & Markets unit at Harvard Business School, an affiliate with Harvard’s Department of Psychology, and a faculty principal investigator in D^3’s Digital Emotions Lab. His research focuses on what makes people emotional in social and group contexts, and how such emotions can be changed when they are unhelpful or undesired. He is particularly interested in how technology is used for both emotion detection and regulation.
Kate Ellis is an associate professor of psychology at The American University in Cairo (AUC) and serves as both the graduate programs director and the coordinator of the leadership in mental health course. She is also a clinical psychologist who works predominantly with refugees and individuals who have experienced trauma. Her research focuses on the impact of violence and conflict, with a particular focus on young people.