Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Department of Gerontology, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2020 Feb 14;75(3):483-493. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gby044.
Despite a basic need for social connection, individuals across the adult lifespan sometimes seek solitude-a phenomenon that is not well understood. This study examined situational and affective correlates of solitude-seeking and how they may differ between middle-aged and older adults.
One hundred community-dwelling adults aged 50-85 years (64% female, 56% East Asian, 36% European, 8% other) completed approximately 30 electronic daily life assessments over 10 days regarding their current location, affect, activities, and current and desired social context.
Solitude was common; 86% of solitude instances happened by individuals' own choosing. When desiring solitude, older adults were more likely to be at home and less likely to be outdoors, compared to other locations. Middle-aged adults showed no such solitude-location associations. Among middle-aged adults, desire for solitude was associated with decreased positive affect. Older adults experienced no such dip in affect.
Findings suggest that compared to middle-aged adults, older adults are more likely to go to locations that match their desired social context, and also that solitude-seeking has more positive ramifications for older adults. Findings are discussed in the context of age differences in activities, social preferences, and emotion regulation.
尽管人们有基本的社交需求，但成年人有时会寻求独处，这一现象尚未得到充分理解。本研究探讨了独处寻求的情境和情感相关性，以及它们在中年和老年人群体之间可能存在的差异。
100 名年龄在 50-85 岁的社区居民（64%为女性，56%为东亚人，36%为欧洲人，8%为其他人）在 10 天内完成了大约 30 项关于其当前位置、情绪、活动以及当前和期望的社交环境的电子日常评估。
独处很常见；86%的独处情况是个人自主选择的。与其他地点相比，当老年人想要独处时，他们更有可能待在家里，而不太可能在户外。中年成年人则没有这种独处地点的关联。在中年成年人中，对独处的渴望与积极情绪的减少有关。而老年人则没有这种情绪下降。
研究结果表明，与中年成年人相比，老年人更有可能去符合其期望社交环境的地方，而且独处寻求对老年人有更多积极的影响。研究结果在活动、社交偏好和情绪调节方面的年龄差异背景下进行了讨论。
