Abstract
What are the interpersonal consequences of seeking solitude? Leading theories in developmental research have proposed that having a general preference for solitude may incur significant interpersonal costs, but empirical studies are still lacking. In five studies (total N = 1,823), we tested whether target individuals with a higher preference for solitude were at greater risk for ostracism, a common, yet extremely negative, experience. In studies using self-reported experiences (Study 1) and perceptions of others’ experiences (Study 2), individuals with a stronger preference for solitude were more likely to experience ostracism. Moreover, participants were more willing to ostracize targets with a high (vs. low) preference for solitude (Studies 3 and 4). Why do people ostracize solitude-seeking individuals? Participants assumed that interacting with these individuals would be aversive for themselves and the targets (Study 5; preregistered). Together, these studies suggest that seeking time alone has important (and potentially harmful) interpersonal consequences.
Keywords: preference for solitude, ostracism, exclusion, person perception
Keywords: preference for solitude, ostracism, exclusion, person perception
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1294-1308 |
Journal | Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin |
Volume | 47 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2021 |
Keywords
- exclusion
- ostracism
- person perception
- preference for solitude
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Replication data for: Leaving the loners alone: Dispositional preference for solitude evokes ostracism
Ren, D. (Creator) & Evans, A. (Creator), DataverseNL, 28 Jun 2021
DOI: 10.34894/folipw, https://dataverse.nl/citation?persistentId=doi:10.34894/FOLIPW
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