There is a meaningful relationship between two important psychological phenomena: the experience of loneliness and life satisfaction. This article briefly presents the findings of a small-scale study that formed the basis of a psychology graduate thesis.
The relevance of this research lies in the significant role that both life satisfaction and the experience of loneliness play in every person's life. In addition to identifying the relationship between these phenomena, the study aimed to generate findings that could be applied in psychological practice.
To understand the subject of the research, it is first necessary to define the key concepts. According to Russian psychologist S. G. Korchagina, loneliness is a psychological state that reflects a person's experience of separateness and the subjective inability or unwillingness to feel an adequate emotional response, acceptance, and recognition from other people. Life satisfaction, according to psychologist V. S. Merenkova and other researchers, can be regarded as a form of well-being and happiness—that is, a state in which a person subjectively perceives that everything in life is going well.
At first glance, these concepts appear familiar, as they have been discussed since ancient times by philosophers and scholars. However, psychological perspectives on loneliness and well-being differ considerably across historical periods and theoretical approaches. In antiquity, loneliness was viewed as an entirely negative condition. During the Middle Ages, it was often associated with poor spiritual development. In the twentieth century, particularly in Western psychology, loneliness was commonly portrayed as a tragic and hopeless experience.
In Russian psychology, loneliness is generally divided into three related concepts: loneliness itself, isolation, and solitude. Among these, solitude is considered a positive and psychologically healthy state rather than a pathological or destructive one. Through various psychotherapeutic techniques, the painful experience of loneliness can often be transformed into constructive solitude, allowing individuals to use time alone for personal growth and self-development.
Life satisfaction is difficult to define objectively because it is inherently subjective. It varies from one individual to another and changes throughout life depending on personal circumstances, values, experiences, and many other factors. Subjective well-being, which represents an important component of overall quality of life, can nevertheless be measured using psychological assessment methods. For this reason, both subjective well-being and loneliness were selected as the primary variables for this empirical study.
The research employed two standardized psychodiagnostic instruments: the Subjective Well-Being Scale (adapted by N. P. Fetiskin, V. V. Kozlov, and G. M. Manuylov) and the Loneliness Level Diagnostic Questionnaire developed by S. G. Korchagina. The study included 25 participants between the ages of 18 and 56.
The findings demonstrated a noticeable relationship between life satisfaction and the experience of loneliness. Based on the results, participants were divided into two groups: 36% were classified as subjectively experiencing low well-being, while 64% reported subjective well-being. Overall, 52% of participants did not experience loneliness, whereas 48% reported varying degrees of loneliness, ranging from mild feelings of isolation to significant emotional discomfort.
A comparison of the two well-being groups revealed an important difference. Among participants who considered themselves subjectively well, only 37.5% reported experiencing loneliness. In contrast, 66.7% of participants in the subjectively low well-being group experienced feelings of loneliness. These findings suggest that loneliness occurs considerably more frequently among individuals with lower levels of subjective well-being.
The study also demonstrated that, in most cases, the happier a person feels, the less intensely they experience loneliness, and vice versa. Statistical analysis using Pearson's correlation coefficient revealed a moderate correlation of 0.44 between the two variables. This coefficient indicates a meaningful, although not perfect, relationship.
The results suggest that loneliness is only one of many factors influencing overall life satisfaction. For example, an individual may experience loneliness while maintaining a relatively high level of well-being because other aspects of life—such as a successful career, meaningful work, supportive hobbies, or caring for a beloved pet—provide emotional fulfillment and compensate for social isolation. Conversely, the absence of loneliness does not automatically guarantee high life satisfaction, since numerous other factors, including physical health, financial stability, family relationships, and personal achievements, also contribute to an individual's overall sense of happiness and well-being.
Article were found in opened resources and translated to English.