Louise Hawkley - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Louise Hawkley

PloS one, 2014

Social relationships endow health and fitness benefits, but considerable variation exists in the ... more Social relationships endow health and fitness benefits, but considerable variation exists in the extent to which individuals form and maintain salutary social relationships. The mental and physical health effects of social bonds are more strongly related to perceived isolation (loneliness) than to objective social network characteristics. We sought to develop an animal model to facilitate the experimental analysis of the development of, and the behavioral and biological consequences of, loneliness. In Study 1, using a population-based sample of older adults, we examined how loneliness was influenced both by social network size and by the extent to which individuals believed that their daily social interactions reflected their own choice. Results revealed three distinct clusters of individuals: (i) individuals with large networks who believed they had high choice were lowest in loneliness, (ii) individuals with small social networks who believed they had low choice were highest in lo...

Genome Biology, 2007

Effects of loneliness on gene expression

Analysis of differentially expressed in circulating l... more Effects of loneliness on gene expression

Analysis of differentially expressed in circulating leukocytes from people who chronically experienced high versus low levels of subjective social isolation (loneliness) revealed over-expression of some anti-inflammatory genes and under-expression of some pro-inflamma-tory genes.

Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research, 2012

Begin forwarded message: Recent advances in neuroimaging have allowed researchers to begin to exa... more Begin forwarded message: Recent advances in neuroimaging have allowed researchers to begin to examine the neural substrates of social cognition and behavior. While this research is nascent, researchers have begun applying it toward understanding the areas of the brain associated with prejudice and stereotyping. While some reliable findings have implicated particular brain structures associated with thinking about stereotyped out-groups, the conclusions we can draw from these studies are thus far limited and tempered with the ...

Emotion Review, 2011

Evaluative processes have their roots in early evolutionary history, as survival is dependent on ... more Evaluative processes have their roots in early evolutionary history, as survival is dependent on an organism’s ability to identify and respond appropriately to positive, rewarding or otherwise salubrious stimuli as well as to negative, noxious, or injurious stimuli. Consequently, evaluative processes are ubiquitous in the animal kingdom and are represented at multiple levels of the nervous system, including the lowest levels of the neuraxis. While evolution has sculpted higher level evaluative systems into complex and sophisticated information-processing networks, they do not come to replace, but rather to interact with more primitive lower level representations. Indeed, there are basic features of the underlying neuroarchitectural plan for evaluative processes that are common across levels of organization—including that of evaluative bivalence.

Journal of individual psychology (1998), 2010

Human relationships with people and nonhuman beings were explored in 229 older adults (50-68 yrs ... more Human relationships with people and nonhuman beings were explored in 229 older adults (50-68 yrs old) in the longitudinal Chicago Health, Aging, and Social Relations Study. The Multi-Domain Relationship Satisfaction scale was constructed to pose parallel questions about participants' satisfaction with their most important person, group, God, and pet. Subscates reflecting person, group, and God satisfaction exhibited convergent and discriminant validity and moderate temporal stability over a one-year period. Person-group and group-God satisfaction ratings were significantly correlated. Person and group satisfaction contributed independently to well-being controlling for sociodemographic factors, and God satisfaction and pet satisfaction. Future research should examine the extent to which differences or commonalities in the effects of relationships in these domains are attributable to specific provisions of various relationship types.

Interface focus, Jan 6, 2012

Evolution has sculpted the incredibly complex human nervous system, among the most complex functi... more Evolution has sculpted the incredibly complex human nervous system, among the most complex functions of which extend beyond the individual to an intricate social structure. Although these functions are deterministic, those determinants are legion, heavily interacting and dependent on a specific evolutionary trajectory. That trajectory was directed by the adaptive significance of quasi-random genetic variations, but was also influenced by chance and caprice. With a different evolutionary pathway, the same neural elements could subserve functions distinctly different from what they do in extant human brains. Consequently, the properties of higher level neural networks cannot be derived readily from the properties of the lower level constituent elements, without studying these elements in the aggregate. Thus, a multi-level approach to integrative neuroscience may offer an optimal strategy. Moreover, the process of calibrative reductionism, by which concepts and understandings from one ...

Psychophysiology, 2011

Low socioeconomic status (SES) has been associated with higher levels of allostatic load (AL). Po... more Low socioeconomic status (SES) has been associated with higher levels of allostatic load (AL). Posited mechanisms for this association include stress, personality, psychosocial variables, coping, social networks, and health behaviors. This study examines whether these variables explain the SES-AL relationship in a population-based sample of 208 51- to 69-year-old White, Black, and Hispanic adults in the Chicago Health, Aging, and Social Relations Study. AL was based on nine markers of physiological dysregulation. SES was inversely associated with a composite measure of AL; hostility and poor sleep quality helped to explain the association between AL and SES. Factor analyses revealed four AL components corresponding to the bodily systems of interest. SES was significantly associated with two AL components, suggesting that the effects of SES on physiological dysregulation are specific to certain systems in a middle to early old-age population.

Psychosomatic Medicine, 2002

Two studies using cross-sectional designs explored four possible mechanisms by which loneliness m... more Two studies using cross-sectional designs explored four possible mechanisms by which loneliness may have deleterious effects on health: health behaviors, cardiovascular activation, cortisol levels, and sleep. Methods: In Study 1, we assessed autonomic activity, salivary cortisol levels, sleep quality, and health behaviors in 89 undergraduate students selected based on pretests to be among the top or bottom quintile in feelings of loneliness. In Study 2, we assessed blood pressure, heart rate, salivary cortisol levels, sleep quality, and health behaviors in 25 older adults whose loneliness was assessed at the time of testing at their residence. Results: Total peripheral resistance was higher in lonely than nonlonely participants, whereas cardiac contractility, heart rate, and cardiac output were higher in nonlonely than lonely participants. Lonely individuals also reported poorer sleep than nonlonely individuals. Study 2 indicated greater age-related increases in blood pressure and poorer sleep quality in lonely than nonlonely older adults. Mean salivary cortisol levels and health behaviors did not differ between groups in either study. Conclusions: Results point to two potentially orthogonal predisease mechanisms that warrant special attention: cardiovascular activation and sleep dysfunction. Health behavior and cortisol regulation, however, may require more sensitive measures and large sample sizes to discern their roles in loneliness and health.

Social Neuroscience, 2012

Complex social behaviors allow various social organisms to create emergent organizations that ext... more Complex social behaviors allow various social organisms to create emergent organizations that extend beyond the individual. Social neuroscience is a burgeoning field that strives to understand the genetic, hormonal, and neural mechanisms responsible for these social structures and behaviors. Consequently, social neuroscience is highly interdisciplinary in nature and embraces the application of methods ranging from the molecular to the molar to investigate the reciprocal interactions between biological, cognitive, and social levels of analysis. The broad scope of such an endeavor introduces particular challenges associated with the integration of multiple levels of analysis. In the present mini-review, we highlight some recent findings in the field of social neuroscience and demonstrate the potential benefits of applying multilevel integrative analysis to the study of social behavior and its influence on physiology and health.

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 2010

Ostracism is ubiquitous across the lifespan. From social exclusion on the playground, to romantic... more Ostracism is ubiquitous across the lifespan. From social exclusion on the playground, to romantic rejection, to workplace expulsion, to social disregard for the aged, ostracism threatens a fundamental human need to belong that reflexively elicits social pain and sadness. Older adults may be particularly vulnerable to ostracism because of loss of network members and meaningful societal roles. On the other hand, socioemotional selectivity theory suggests that older adults may be less impacted by ostracism because of an age-related positivity bias. We examined these hypotheses in two independent studies, and tested mechanisms that may account for age differences in the affective experience of ostracism. A study of 18-to 86-year-old participants in the Time-Sharing Experiments for the Social Sciences program showed an age-related decrease in the impact of ostracism on needs satisfaction and negative affectivity. A study of 53-to 71-year-old participants in the Chicago Health, Aging, and Social Relations Study (CHASRS) showed that ostracism diminished positive affectivity in younger (<60 years) but not older adults. Age group differences in response to ostracism were consistent with the positivity bias hypothesis, were partly explained by age differences in the impact of physical pain, but were not explained by autonomic nervous system activity, computer experience, or intimate social loss or stressful life experiences.

Review of General Psychology, 2005

Scientific theories in the natural sciences posit invisible forces operating with measurable effe... more Scientific theories in the natural sciences posit invisible forces operating with measurable effects on physical bodies, but the scientific study of invisible forces acting on human bodies has made limited progress. The topics of sociality, spirituality, and meaning making are cases in point. The authors discuss some of the possible reasons for this as well as contemporary developments in the social sciences and neurosciences that may make such study possible and productive.

Psychophysiology, 2001

Age-related structural and functional changes in the cardiovascular, sympathoadrenomedullary~SAM!... more Age-related structural and functional changes in the cardiovascular, sympathoadrenomedullary~SAM!, and hypothalamicpituitary-adrenocortical~HPA! systems may affect the ability to reliably identify individual differences in response to stress. Heart rate, preejection period, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, respiratory rate, norepinephrine, epinephrine, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and cortisol were assessed in 64 healthy older women~mean ϭ 67 years! in response to a mental arithmetic and public-speaking task. All cardiovascular and endocrine measures changed significantly during the tasks. All measures were consistent across the two tasks~r s s ϭ .50 to .97!. Moreover, a majority of women in this sample exhibited cross-task consistency in the relative activation of the autonomic, SAM, and HPA systems~i.e., response profiles!. Further research is recommended to examine the significance of consistent individual differences in response profile.

Psychophysiology, 2001

The validity and reliability of a new ambulatory impedance cardiograph~AZCG! was tested against t... more The validity and reliability of a new ambulatory impedance cardiograph~AZCG! was tested against the Minnesota Impedance Cardiograph~ZCG! during rest, orthostasis, and mental stress. Impedance cardiography allows noninvasive assessment of stroke volume, cardiac output, and systolic time intervals. A reliable ambulatory device would allow studies outside the lab. The devices were compared at two sites in healthy subjects. In both studies, the AZCG tracked changes across conditions closely with the ZCG~all Period ϫ Device interactions were nonsignificant!. Pearson rs, were .65 to .93, random intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from .80 to .98, indicating high degrees of shared measurement variance, and Cronbach's alpha indicated very good internal reliabilities~.91 to .99!. Relative to the ZCG, the new AZCG appears to provide valid and reliable estimates of cardiac function at rest and during behavioral challenges in the lab.

Psychology and Aging, 2010

We present evidence from a 5-year longitudinal study for the prospective associations between lon... more We present evidence from a 5-year longitudinal study for the prospective associations between loneliness and depressive symptoms in a population-based, ethnically diverse sample of 229 men and women who were 50-68 years old at study onset. Cross-lagged panel models were used in which the criterion variables were loneliness and depressive symptoms, considered simultaneously. We used variations on this model to evaluate the possible effects of gender, ethnicity, education, physical functioning, medications, social network size, neuroticism, stressful life events, perceived stress, and social support on the observed associations between loneliness and depressive symptoms. Cross-lagged analyses indicated that loneliness predicted subsequent changes in depressive symptomatology, but not vice versa, and that this temporal association was not attributable to demographic variables, objective social isolation, dispositional negativity, stress, or social support. The importance of distinguishing between loneliness and depressive symptoms and the implications for loneliness and depressive symptomatology in older adults are discussed.

Psychological Science, 2002

Loneliness predicts morbidity and mortality from broadbased causes, but the reasons for this effe... more Loneliness predicts morbidity and mortality from broadbased causes, but the reasons for this effect remain unclear. Few differences in traditional health behaviors (e.g., smoking, exercise, nutrition) have been found to differentiate lonely and nonlonely individuals. We present evidence that a prototypic restorative behavior-sleepdoes make such a differentiation, not through differences in time in bed or in sleep duration, but through differences in efficacy: In the study we report here, lonely individuals evinced poorer sleep efficiency and more time awake after sleep onset than nonlonely individuals. These results, which were observed in controlled laboratory conditions and were found to generalize to the home, suggest that lonely individuals may be less resilient than nonlonely individuals in part because they sleep more poorly. These results also raise the possibility that social factors such as loneliness not only may influence the selection of health behaviors but also may modulate the salubrity of restorative behaviors.

Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2010

Social and demographic trends are placing an increasing number of adults at risk for loneliness, ... more Social and demographic trends are placing an increasing number of adults at risk for loneliness, an established risk factor for physical and mental illness. The growing costs of loneliness have led to a number of loneliness reduction interventions. Qualitative reviews have identified four primary intervention strategies: (a) improving social skills, (b) enhancing social support, (c) increasing opportunities for social contact, and (d) addressing maladaptive social cognition. An integrative meta-analysis of loneliness reduction interventions was conducted to quantify the effects of each strategy and to examine the potential role of moderator variables. Results revealed that single-group pre-post and nonrandomized comparison studies yielded larger mean effect sizes relative to randomized comparison studies. Among studies that used the latter design, the most successful interventions addressed maladaptive social cognition. This is consistent with current theories regarding loneliness a...

Journal of Research in Personality, 2012

We examined whether the empirical differences between affective well-being (AWB) and cognitive we... more We examined whether the empirical differences between affective well-being (AWB) and cognitive well-being (CWB) might be due to (a) the use of different time frames in measures of AWB and CWB or (b) structural differences. In Study 1, a multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) analysis indicated that levels of different components are more similar but do not converge completely when the same time frame is used. In Study 2, we found that people are more likely to consider global life circumstances (as opposed to specific events and activities) when they evaluate their CWB, regardless of the specific time frame. In both studies, the time frame did not moderate the associations between AWB and CWB and important correlates (personality, life circumstances).

Journal of Research in Personality, 2006

Loneliness is characterized by feelings of social pain and isolation and has both heritable and u... more Loneliness is characterized by feelings of social pain and isolation and has both heritable and unshared environmental underpinnings. An evolutionary theory of loneliness is outlined, and four studies replicate and extend prior research on the characteristics of lonely individuals. Studies 1 and 2 indicate that loneliness and depressed aVect are related but separable constructs. Study 3 conWrms that lonely, relative to nonlonely, young adults are higher in anxiety, anger, negative mood, and fear of negative evaluation, and lower in optimism, social skills, social support, positive mood, surgency, emotional stability, conscientiousness, agreeableness, shyness, and sociability. The set of six personality factors associated with loneliness (surgency, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness, shyness, and sociability) do not explain the associations between loneliness and negative mood, anxiety, anger, optimism (pessimism), self-esteem, and social support, as each association remained statistically signiWcant even after statistically controlling for these personality factors. Study 4 used hypnosis to experimentally manipulate loneliness to determine whether there were associated ଝ Funding was provided by the John D. and Catherine T.

PloS one, 2014

Social relationships endow health and fitness benefits, but considerable variation exists in the ... more Social relationships endow health and fitness benefits, but considerable variation exists in the extent to which individuals form and maintain salutary social relationships. The mental and physical health effects of social bonds are more strongly related to perceived isolation (loneliness) than to objective social network characteristics. We sought to develop an animal model to facilitate the experimental analysis of the development of, and the behavioral and biological consequences of, loneliness. In Study 1, using a population-based sample of older adults, we examined how loneliness was influenced both by social network size and by the extent to which individuals believed that their daily social interactions reflected their own choice. Results revealed three distinct clusters of individuals: (i) individuals with large networks who believed they had high choice were lowest in loneliness, (ii) individuals with small social networks who believed they had low choice were highest in lo...

Genome Biology, 2007

Effects of loneliness on gene expression

Analysis of differentially expressed in circulating l... more Effects of loneliness on gene expression

Analysis of differentially expressed in circulating leukocytes from people who chronically experienced high versus low levels of subjective social isolation (loneliness) revealed over-expression of some anti-inflammatory genes and under-expression of some pro-inflamma-tory genes.

Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research, 2012

Begin forwarded message: Recent advances in neuroimaging have allowed researchers to begin to exa... more Begin forwarded message: Recent advances in neuroimaging have allowed researchers to begin to examine the neural substrates of social cognition and behavior. While this research is nascent, researchers have begun applying it toward understanding the areas of the brain associated with prejudice and stereotyping. While some reliable findings have implicated particular brain structures associated with thinking about stereotyped out-groups, the conclusions we can draw from these studies are thus far limited and tempered with the ...

Emotion Review, 2011

Evaluative processes have their roots in early evolutionary history, as survival is dependent on ... more Evaluative processes have their roots in early evolutionary history, as survival is dependent on an organism’s ability to identify and respond appropriately to positive, rewarding or otherwise salubrious stimuli as well as to negative, noxious, or injurious stimuli. Consequently, evaluative processes are ubiquitous in the animal kingdom and are represented at multiple levels of the nervous system, including the lowest levels of the neuraxis. While evolution has sculpted higher level evaluative systems into complex and sophisticated information-processing networks, they do not come to replace, but rather to interact with more primitive lower level representations. Indeed, there are basic features of the underlying neuroarchitectural plan for evaluative processes that are common across levels of organization—including that of evaluative bivalence.

Journal of individual psychology (1998), 2010

Human relationships with people and nonhuman beings were explored in 229 older adults (50-68 yrs ... more Human relationships with people and nonhuman beings were explored in 229 older adults (50-68 yrs old) in the longitudinal Chicago Health, Aging, and Social Relations Study. The Multi-Domain Relationship Satisfaction scale was constructed to pose parallel questions about participants' satisfaction with their most important person, group, God, and pet. Subscates reflecting person, group, and God satisfaction exhibited convergent and discriminant validity and moderate temporal stability over a one-year period. Person-group and group-God satisfaction ratings were significantly correlated. Person and group satisfaction contributed independently to well-being controlling for sociodemographic factors, and God satisfaction and pet satisfaction. Future research should examine the extent to which differences or commonalities in the effects of relationships in these domains are attributable to specific provisions of various relationship types.

Interface focus, Jan 6, 2012

Evolution has sculpted the incredibly complex human nervous system, among the most complex functi... more Evolution has sculpted the incredibly complex human nervous system, among the most complex functions of which extend beyond the individual to an intricate social structure. Although these functions are deterministic, those determinants are legion, heavily interacting and dependent on a specific evolutionary trajectory. That trajectory was directed by the adaptive significance of quasi-random genetic variations, but was also influenced by chance and caprice. With a different evolutionary pathway, the same neural elements could subserve functions distinctly different from what they do in extant human brains. Consequently, the properties of higher level neural networks cannot be derived readily from the properties of the lower level constituent elements, without studying these elements in the aggregate. Thus, a multi-level approach to integrative neuroscience may offer an optimal strategy. Moreover, the process of calibrative reductionism, by which concepts and understandings from one ...

Psychophysiology, 2011

Low socioeconomic status (SES) has been associated with higher levels of allostatic load (AL). Po... more Low socioeconomic status (SES) has been associated with higher levels of allostatic load (AL). Posited mechanisms for this association include stress, personality, psychosocial variables, coping, social networks, and health behaviors. This study examines whether these variables explain the SES-AL relationship in a population-based sample of 208 51- to 69-year-old White, Black, and Hispanic adults in the Chicago Health, Aging, and Social Relations Study. AL was based on nine markers of physiological dysregulation. SES was inversely associated with a composite measure of AL; hostility and poor sleep quality helped to explain the association between AL and SES. Factor analyses revealed four AL components corresponding to the bodily systems of interest. SES was significantly associated with two AL components, suggesting that the effects of SES on physiological dysregulation are specific to certain systems in a middle to early old-age population.

Psychosomatic Medicine, 2002

Two studies using cross-sectional designs explored four possible mechanisms by which loneliness m... more Two studies using cross-sectional designs explored four possible mechanisms by which loneliness may have deleterious effects on health: health behaviors, cardiovascular activation, cortisol levels, and sleep. Methods: In Study 1, we assessed autonomic activity, salivary cortisol levels, sleep quality, and health behaviors in 89 undergraduate students selected based on pretests to be among the top or bottom quintile in feelings of loneliness. In Study 2, we assessed blood pressure, heart rate, salivary cortisol levels, sleep quality, and health behaviors in 25 older adults whose loneliness was assessed at the time of testing at their residence. Results: Total peripheral resistance was higher in lonely than nonlonely participants, whereas cardiac contractility, heart rate, and cardiac output were higher in nonlonely than lonely participants. Lonely individuals also reported poorer sleep than nonlonely individuals. Study 2 indicated greater age-related increases in blood pressure and poorer sleep quality in lonely than nonlonely older adults. Mean salivary cortisol levels and health behaviors did not differ between groups in either study. Conclusions: Results point to two potentially orthogonal predisease mechanisms that warrant special attention: cardiovascular activation and sleep dysfunction. Health behavior and cortisol regulation, however, may require more sensitive measures and large sample sizes to discern their roles in loneliness and health.

Social Neuroscience, 2012

Complex social behaviors allow various social organisms to create emergent organizations that ext... more Complex social behaviors allow various social organisms to create emergent organizations that extend beyond the individual. Social neuroscience is a burgeoning field that strives to understand the genetic, hormonal, and neural mechanisms responsible for these social structures and behaviors. Consequently, social neuroscience is highly interdisciplinary in nature and embraces the application of methods ranging from the molecular to the molar to investigate the reciprocal interactions between biological, cognitive, and social levels of analysis. The broad scope of such an endeavor introduces particular challenges associated with the integration of multiple levels of analysis. In the present mini-review, we highlight some recent findings in the field of social neuroscience and demonstrate the potential benefits of applying multilevel integrative analysis to the study of social behavior and its influence on physiology and health.

Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 2010

Ostracism is ubiquitous across the lifespan. From social exclusion on the playground, to romantic... more Ostracism is ubiquitous across the lifespan. From social exclusion on the playground, to romantic rejection, to workplace expulsion, to social disregard for the aged, ostracism threatens a fundamental human need to belong that reflexively elicits social pain and sadness. Older adults may be particularly vulnerable to ostracism because of loss of network members and meaningful societal roles. On the other hand, socioemotional selectivity theory suggests that older adults may be less impacted by ostracism because of an age-related positivity bias. We examined these hypotheses in two independent studies, and tested mechanisms that may account for age differences in the affective experience of ostracism. A study of 18-to 86-year-old participants in the Time-Sharing Experiments for the Social Sciences program showed an age-related decrease in the impact of ostracism on needs satisfaction and negative affectivity. A study of 53-to 71-year-old participants in the Chicago Health, Aging, and Social Relations Study (CHASRS) showed that ostracism diminished positive affectivity in younger (<60 years) but not older adults. Age group differences in response to ostracism were consistent with the positivity bias hypothesis, were partly explained by age differences in the impact of physical pain, but were not explained by autonomic nervous system activity, computer experience, or intimate social loss or stressful life experiences.

Review of General Psychology, 2005

Scientific theories in the natural sciences posit invisible forces operating with measurable effe... more Scientific theories in the natural sciences posit invisible forces operating with measurable effects on physical bodies, but the scientific study of invisible forces acting on human bodies has made limited progress. The topics of sociality, spirituality, and meaning making are cases in point. The authors discuss some of the possible reasons for this as well as contemporary developments in the social sciences and neurosciences that may make such study possible and productive.

Psychophysiology, 2001

Age-related structural and functional changes in the cardiovascular, sympathoadrenomedullary~SAM!... more Age-related structural and functional changes in the cardiovascular, sympathoadrenomedullary~SAM!, and hypothalamicpituitary-adrenocortical~HPA! systems may affect the ability to reliably identify individual differences in response to stress. Heart rate, preejection period, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, respiratory rate, norepinephrine, epinephrine, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and cortisol were assessed in 64 healthy older women~mean ϭ 67 years! in response to a mental arithmetic and public-speaking task. All cardiovascular and endocrine measures changed significantly during the tasks. All measures were consistent across the two tasks~r s s ϭ .50 to .97!. Moreover, a majority of women in this sample exhibited cross-task consistency in the relative activation of the autonomic, SAM, and HPA systems~i.e., response profiles!. Further research is recommended to examine the significance of consistent individual differences in response profile.

Psychophysiology, 2001

The validity and reliability of a new ambulatory impedance cardiograph~AZCG! was tested against t... more The validity and reliability of a new ambulatory impedance cardiograph~AZCG! was tested against the Minnesota Impedance Cardiograph~ZCG! during rest, orthostasis, and mental stress. Impedance cardiography allows noninvasive assessment of stroke volume, cardiac output, and systolic time intervals. A reliable ambulatory device would allow studies outside the lab. The devices were compared at two sites in healthy subjects. In both studies, the AZCG tracked changes across conditions closely with the ZCG~all Period ϫ Device interactions were nonsignificant!. Pearson rs, were .65 to .93, random intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from .80 to .98, indicating high degrees of shared measurement variance, and Cronbach's alpha indicated very good internal reliabilities~.91 to .99!. Relative to the ZCG, the new AZCG appears to provide valid and reliable estimates of cardiac function at rest and during behavioral challenges in the lab.

Psychology and Aging, 2010

We present evidence from a 5-year longitudinal study for the prospective associations between lon... more We present evidence from a 5-year longitudinal study for the prospective associations between loneliness and depressive symptoms in a population-based, ethnically diverse sample of 229 men and women who were 50-68 years old at study onset. Cross-lagged panel models were used in which the criterion variables were loneliness and depressive symptoms, considered simultaneously. We used variations on this model to evaluate the possible effects of gender, ethnicity, education, physical functioning, medications, social network size, neuroticism, stressful life events, perceived stress, and social support on the observed associations between loneliness and depressive symptoms. Cross-lagged analyses indicated that loneliness predicted subsequent changes in depressive symptomatology, but not vice versa, and that this temporal association was not attributable to demographic variables, objective social isolation, dispositional negativity, stress, or social support. The importance of distinguishing between loneliness and depressive symptoms and the implications for loneliness and depressive symptomatology in older adults are discussed.

Psychological Science, 2002

Loneliness predicts morbidity and mortality from broadbased causes, but the reasons for this effe... more Loneliness predicts morbidity and mortality from broadbased causes, but the reasons for this effect remain unclear. Few differences in traditional health behaviors (e.g., smoking, exercise, nutrition) have been found to differentiate lonely and nonlonely individuals. We present evidence that a prototypic restorative behavior-sleepdoes make such a differentiation, not through differences in time in bed or in sleep duration, but through differences in efficacy: In the study we report here, lonely individuals evinced poorer sleep efficiency and more time awake after sleep onset than nonlonely individuals. These results, which were observed in controlled laboratory conditions and were found to generalize to the home, suggest that lonely individuals may be less resilient than nonlonely individuals in part because they sleep more poorly. These results also raise the possibility that social factors such as loneliness not only may influence the selection of health behaviors but also may modulate the salubrity of restorative behaviors.

Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2010

Social and demographic trends are placing an increasing number of adults at risk for loneliness, ... more Social and demographic trends are placing an increasing number of adults at risk for loneliness, an established risk factor for physical and mental illness. The growing costs of loneliness have led to a number of loneliness reduction interventions. Qualitative reviews have identified four primary intervention strategies: (a) improving social skills, (b) enhancing social support, (c) increasing opportunities for social contact, and (d) addressing maladaptive social cognition. An integrative meta-analysis of loneliness reduction interventions was conducted to quantify the effects of each strategy and to examine the potential role of moderator variables. Results revealed that single-group pre-post and nonrandomized comparison studies yielded larger mean effect sizes relative to randomized comparison studies. Among studies that used the latter design, the most successful interventions addressed maladaptive social cognition. This is consistent with current theories regarding loneliness a...

Journal of Research in Personality, 2012

We examined whether the empirical differences between affective well-being (AWB) and cognitive we... more We examined whether the empirical differences between affective well-being (AWB) and cognitive well-being (CWB) might be due to (a) the use of different time frames in measures of AWB and CWB or (b) structural differences. In Study 1, a multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) analysis indicated that levels of different components are more similar but do not converge completely when the same time frame is used. In Study 2, we found that people are more likely to consider global life circumstances (as opposed to specific events and activities) when they evaluate their CWB, regardless of the specific time frame. In both studies, the time frame did not moderate the associations between AWB and CWB and important correlates (personality, life circumstances).

Journal of Research in Personality, 2006

Loneliness is characterized by feelings of social pain and isolation and has both heritable and u... more Loneliness is characterized by feelings of social pain and isolation and has both heritable and unshared environmental underpinnings. An evolutionary theory of loneliness is outlined, and four studies replicate and extend prior research on the characteristics of lonely individuals. Studies 1 and 2 indicate that loneliness and depressed aVect are related but separable constructs. Study 3 conWrms that lonely, relative to nonlonely, young adults are higher in anxiety, anger, negative mood, and fear of negative evaluation, and lower in optimism, social skills, social support, positive mood, surgency, emotional stability, conscientiousness, agreeableness, shyness, and sociability. The set of six personality factors associated with loneliness (surgency, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness, shyness, and sociability) do not explain the associations between loneliness and negative mood, anxiety, anger, optimism (pessimism), self-esteem, and social support, as each association remained statistically signiWcant even after statistically controlling for these personality factors. Study 4 used hypnosis to experimentally manipulate loneliness to determine whether there were associated ଝ Funding was provided by the John D. and Catherine T.