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Loneliness in Modern Life

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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

Synonyms

Alienation; Digital age; Information age; Isolation; Rejection; Solitude

Definition

This chapter delineates loneliness as a universal human condition through the lifespan. This construct is discussed as an individual difference and as a human condition, and explores its evolutionary beginnings. Finally, loneliness is presented as a defining quality of online interactions in the digital age, from chatrooms of the twentieth century to modern-day social networking sites. This chapter concludes with a tentative answer to the decades-old question of whether loneliness is amplified in the digital age.

Introduction

Loneliness may be defined as the distress resulting from a cognitive discrepancy between ideal or desired social relationships and the reality of those relationships. That is, loneliness is experienced when an individual’s connections with friends, family, or romantic partners are less satisfying than what is desired. The roots of loneliness reach deeply into the very...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

    Jessica E. Bodford

Authors
  1. Jessica E. Bodford
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Correspondence to Jessica E. Bodford .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA

    Kevin Beaver

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Bodford, J.E. (2017). Loneliness in Modern Life. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1580-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1580-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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