Me, Myself, and I: Examining the Effect of Loneliness and Self-Focus on Message Referents

ABSTRACT

In a world of constant connectivity, individuals still report experiencing feelings of loneliness. Loneliness refers to the subjective feeling of social isolation and is an important emotion in consumption situations. This research examines the effect of loneliness on consumer evaluations of advertisements. Specifically, two experiments investigate how individuals experiencing loneliness respond to self versus other message referents in advertising. Findings from both studies demonstrate that individuals experiencing loneliness have more favorable dispositions toward messaging that references the “self” as opposed to messaging that references “others.” Theoretical and managerial implications of findings are discussed.

Notes

1 In order to corroborate the robustness of our manipulation of loneliness, we conducted a post hoc test using 30 participants and measured loneliness using three items adapted from the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russell 1996). The manipulation check items asked individuals whether they felt “alone,” “isolated,” or “lonely.” Items were measured on a 9-point scale, anchored by “very strongly disagree” and “very strongly agree.” The three items were summed and averaged. Results from the data indicated that there was a main effect (F(1, 28) =12.2, p < .01). Participants in the lonely condition (M = 5.1; SD = 2.7) expressed more feelings of loneliness than those in the neutral condition (M = 1.74; SD = 1.51), again corroborating previous findings from this manipulation.