Does meaning protect against loneliness? Exploring empirical studies and theory
| Autor: | Trine Flensborg-Madsen, Sigurd Mørk Rønbøl Lauridsen, Emilie Rune Hegelund, Anna Paldam Folker, Cathrine Lawaetz Wimmelmann |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Value (ethics)
Health (social science) media_common.quotation_subject Emotions 050109 social psychology Interpersonal communication Creating shared value 050105 experimental psychology Cohort Studies Empirical research Adaptation Psychological medicine loneliness Humans 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences Meaning (existential) Prospective Studies theory media_common public mental health Loneliness 05 social sciences Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Mental health meaning in life Feeling exploring empirical studies medicine.symptom Psychology Social psychology |
| Zdroj: | Folker, A P, Lauridsen, S, Hegelund, E R, Wimmelmann, C L & Flensborg-Madsen, T 2021, ' Does meaning protect against loneliness? Exploring empirical studies and theory ', Health Promotion International, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 471–480 . https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daaa081 Folker, A P, Lauridsen, S M, Hegelund, E R, Wimmelmann, C L & Flensborg-Madsen, T 2021, ' Does meaning protect against loneliness? Exploring empirical studies and theory ', Health promotion international, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 471-480 . https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daaa081 |
| Popis: | Research indicates that meaning in life is a protective factor for physical and mental health. Although loneliness is increasingly recognized as an important public health concern, no studies have investigated the potential of meaning in life to protect against loneliness. Based on an explorative interdisciplinary research strategy that comprises data from a cohort study, a strategic review of empirical literature and a conceptual analysis of the concept of meaning in life we explore the support for potential links between meaning in life and the protection against loneliness. We propose three different explanatory mechanisms; (i) that meaning in life promotes a positive orientation toward others, (ii) that meaning in life enhances interpersonal appeal and (iii) that meaning in life promotes a better ability to cope with loneliness. Theoretically, we explore the idea that the value of meaning in life ultimately concerns a social need to contribute to the realization of value that, at least in principle, can be shared and recognized by others. When people realize the value of meaning in life, they partake in a community of shared values, which links them to a social world in a way that may protect against the feeling of loneliness. Jointly the analyses point to the need for prospective studies on the role of meaning in life as a protective factor against loneliness and a potential novel focus for loneliness interventions. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|