ObjectiveThis research explored arousal levels as a motivating factor for solitude‐seeking. We hypothesized that solitude becomes more desirable when high‐arousal emotions were heightened and individual differences in extraversion and neuroticism would moderate this pattern.MethodWe tracked individuals' hourly experiences throughout a day. We assessed their high‐arousal positive (e.g., excitement) and negative emotions (e.g., tension), whether they were alone or with others, and their preferred situation at the time of the signal. We gathered 4338 surveys from 362 participants, with 103 participants completing all hourly surveys.ResultsPreference for and incidence of solitude changed throughout the day. Contrary to our hypotheses, lagged analyses did not indicate high‐arousal emotions predicting reports of being alone an hour later. However, individuals were more likely to express a preference for solitude while experiencing high‐arousal negative emotions, and less so while experiencing positive emotions. Younger individuals display stronger preference for solitude during experiences of high‐arousal negative emotions. Extraversion and neuroticism did not moderate these patterns.ConclusionsThe results highlight the distinctive appeal of solitude as a space for young adults to deal with negative emotions. We discussed how these findings are connected to existing literature and implications for future research.

中文翻译：

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使用生态瞬时评估研究孤独作为下调日常唤醒的工具


目的本研究探讨了唤醒水平作为寻求独处的激励因素。我们假设，当高唤醒情绪加剧时，独处会变得更令人向往，并且外向性和神经质的个体差异会缓和这种模式。方法我们跟踪个人全天每小时的经历。我们评估了他们的高唤醒积极情绪（例如兴奋）和消极情绪（例如紧张），无论他们是独自一人还是与他人在一起，以及他们在收到信号时的首选情况。我们收集了 362 名参与者的 4338 份调查，其中 103 名参与者完成了所有每小时的调查。结果独处的偏好和发生率在一天中发生变化。与我们的假设相反，滞后分析并没有表明高唤醒情绪预示着一小时后独处的报告。然而，个体在经历高唤起的负面情绪时更有可能表达出对独处的偏好，而在经历积极情绪时则较少表达出对独处的偏好。年轻人在经历高唤起的负面情绪时表现出更强烈的独处偏好。外向性和神经质并没有缓和这些模式。结论结果强调了独处作为年轻人处理负面情绪的空间的独特吸引力。我们讨论了这些发现如何与现有文献联系起来以及对未来研究的影响。