Loneliness Unlocked: Associations with Smartphone Use and Personality
Abstract
Communication and relationships have been dramatically altered because of the rapid adoption of the smartphone in just over a decade. The present study examined loneliness, facets of neuroticism, communication apprehension, emotional support, and nomophobia with individual differences in smartphone use. In addition, the research also looked at differences in loneliness and smartphone use as a result of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Participants (302 women and 290 men) completed a survey of the variables and reported smartphone data over two years. The sample was also divided into pre-COVID-19 (N = 226) and during-COVID-19 (N = 251). Correlations indicated loneliness was positively associated with screen time, social media app use, communication anxiety, neuroticism, social recognition, and nomophobia. Loneliness was negatively associated with smartphone pickups, communication app use, need for affiliation, and emotional support. A regression analysis revealed that personality, emotional support, and smartphone pickups were significant predictors of loneliness. Comparing pre-pandemic and pandemic states, there was an increase in smartphone duration, and a decrease in the association between social media app use and loneliness during the pandemic. These results suggest that lonely individuals use their smartphones differently, the pandemic has affected smartphone use, and that personality is a stable, but nuanced force in the understanding of loneliness.