Loneliness in the Modern Age: An Evolutionary Theory of Loneliness (ETL)
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The evolutionary theory of loneliness proposes that loneliness has evolved as an adaptive signal that one's beneficial social relationships are under threat.
“The evolutionary theory of loneliness considers social isolation to be a danger to an individual's survival and proposes that loneliness has evolved as an adaptive signal that one's beneficial social relationships are under threat (Cacioppo et al. 2013;Cacioppo & Cacioppo, 2018;Qualter et al., 2015).”
From Investigating the interplay of loneliness and social isolation across adolescence: Findings from a nationally representative longitudinal study (2026) · cites this paper as Cacioppo & Cacioppo, 2018
Within the evolutionary framework, the aversive experience of loneliness can motivate socially isolated individuals to build or rebuild positive social relationships.
“Within this framework, the aversive experience of loneliness can work to motivate socially isolated individuals to build or rebuild positive social relationships through a series of cognitive and behavioral processes (Cacioppo & Cacioppo, 2018).”
From Investigating the interplay of loneliness and social isolation across adolescence: Findings from a nationally representative longitudinal study (2026) · cites this paper as Cacioppo & Cacioppo, 2018
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BackgroundWardwell, J., Watanasriyakul, W. T., Normann, M. C., Akinbo, O. I., McNeal, N., Ciosek, S., Cox, M., Holzapfel, N., Sujet, S., & Grippo, A. J. (2020) · Stress · doi:10.1080/10253890.2020.1724950 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
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Bryan, B. T., Thompson, K. N., Fisher, H. L., Matthews, T., Milne, B., & Arseneault, L. (2026) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579426101758 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
- Authors
- Cacioppo, J. T., & Cacioppo, S.
- Affiliations
- University of Chicago (US)
- Corresponding author
- Cacioppo, Stephanie
- Venue
- Advances in Experimental Social Psychology
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Published
- 2018
- Pages
- 127-197
- ISSN
- 0065-2601 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2803645611
- Cited by
- 481
- References
- 65
- Citations by year
- 2026: 57 · 2025: 104 · 2024: 107 · 2023: 61 · 2022: 63 · 2021: 46 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 4
- FWCI
- 128.62
- Type
- book chapter
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Advances in experimental social psychology (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Keywords
- loneliness, social isolation, altruism, selfishness, evolutionary fitness, unconscious processes, animal models, comparative analysis, social behavior
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