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Sad and alone: Social expectancies for experiencing negative emotions are linked to feelings of loneliness
Bastian, Brock Koval, Peter Erbas, Yasemin Houben, Marlies Pe, Madeline Kuppens, Peter Peter,
Bastian, Brock
Koval, Peter
Erbas, Yasemin
Houben, Marlies
Pe, Madeline
Kuppens, Peter
Peter,
Abstract
Western culture has become obsessed with happiness, while treating negative emotions like sadness, depression, or anxiety as pathological and nonnormative. These salient cultural norms communicate social expectations that people should feel “happy” and not “sad.” Previous research has shown that these “social expectancies” can increase feelings of sadness and reduce well-being. In this study, we examined whether these perceived social pressures might also lead people to feel socially disconnected—lonely—when they do experience negative emotions? Drawing on a large stratified sample prescreened for depressive symptoms and utilizing both trait measures and moment-to-moment “experience sampling” over a 7-day period, we found that people who felt more negative emotions and also believe that others in society disapprove of these emotions reported more loneliness. Our data suggest that social pressures to be happy and not sad can make people feel more socially isolated when they do feel sad.
Keywords
Date
2015
Type
Journal article
Journal
Social Psychological and Personality Science
Book
Volume
6
Issue
5
Page Range
496-503
Article Number
ACU Department
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
File Access
Controlled