How to reduce loneliness: Meaningful activities can improve health,
well-being

Date:
April 6, 2022
Source:
Penn State
Summary:
A new study demonstrated that engaging in meaningful, challenging
activities during free time can reduce people's loneliness and
increase their positive feelings.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Free time is sometimes idealized, but research shows free time can
sometimes be unhealthy by increasing loneliness. A new Penn State study demonstrated that engaging in meaningful, challenging activities during
free time can reduce people's loneliness and increase their positive
feelings.


==========================================================================
An international team of researchers including John Dattilo -- professor
of recreation, park, and tourism management at Penn State -- has been
studying how to increase leisure and reduce loneliness during the pandemic among both international college students and older adults.

Across two different studies, the researchers found that people who had meaningful, challenging experiences were less lonely -- even when higher
levels of social contact and support were not available.

"There is a well-known saying: 'Time flies when you are having fun,'"
said Dattilo. "The unspoken corollary is that time drags when you are
bored. Our research shows that both of these ideas are true. By engaging
in meaningful activities during free time that demand focus, people can
reduce loneliness and increase momentary happiness." Loneliness and the pandemic Despite -- or perhaps in part because of -- technology that
can connect people anywhere at any time, previous research has shown
that loneliness has increased over recent decades.



========================================================================== Loneliness touches people of all ages, from children to young adults to
older adults. The COVID-19 pandemic, which caused many people to alter
their social behavior to prevent the spread of disease, exacerbated the
problem of loneliness around the world.

"Loneliness is very connected to our health," Dattilo explained.

"Psychological, emotional, and cognitive health are all challenged when
people are lonely. Loneliness is associated with depression and other
mental health challenges." "Troublingly," continued Dattilo, "there
is a loneliness epidemic. And while the COVID-19 pandemic has increased loneliness for many people, the silver lining is that the pandemic has
also exposed the scope of the loneliness problem. Anything we can do as
a society to reduce loneliness should improve health and happiness for
people everywhere." In a new article that appears in Leisure Sciences,
the researchers explored loneliness among international university
students in Taiwan. The same research team also published an article
about reducing loneliness among nursing home residents late in 2021.

Prior research has shown that loneliness among international university students is common around the world. International students are removed
from their social networks and live in a different culture, often one
that speaks a different language. Typically, international students
can prevent loneliness by participating in social activities to receive
'social support,' the sense that they are cared for by the people with
whom they socialize. During the pandemic, however, many group-based
activities and social gatherings have been cancelled or prohibited.



========================================================================== Additionally, the researchers identified that the online social
opportunities that became available in the pandemic may be less accessible
to international students because of language and cultural differences.

Flow reduces loneliness According to the researchers, reduced loneliness
is associated with engaging in enjoyable activities that require both concentration and skill.

"When people become engrossed in what they are doing, they enter a state
that is called 'flow,'" Dattilo explained. "Flow can be achieved by
engaging in mental or physical activities that we value and that require
us to concentrate fully to use our skills." For people to achieve a
state of flow, an activity must require a good deal of their skill but
not be so difficult that it seems impossible. Additionally, it must
demand concentration to execute and be meaningful to the participant.

Artistic endeavors like playing the piano or painting can induce flow. So
can physical activities like skiing or chopping wood, along with mental
tasks like writing or storytelling. What induces flow differs from person
to person based on individual skills and values.

"When we enter a state of flow, we become absorbed and focused, and we experience momentary enjoyment," Dattilo continued. "When we leave a state
of flow, we are often surprised by how much time has passed." People with extensive free time -- like college students who are locked down during a pandemic, or people who live in a nursing home -- can achieve flow when
they engage in activities they find to be meaningful. In this way, time
passes quickly for them, their life has meaning, and their experience
of loneliness is reduced, according to the researchers.

Social support from friends and acquaintances is a primary way that
people reduce loneliness. For many people, however, obtaining adequate
social support can be challenging. Though the researchers found that
students with high levels of social support were less lonely, they found
that flow was even more important to reducing loneliness. Helping people achieve flow can reduce loneliness in situations where social support
is insufficient. More importantly, it can reduce loneliness for people
in any situation.

Encouraging flow for everyone Some activities never induce flow, while
other activities may or may not, depending on the individual. According to Dattilo, there is nothing wrong with watching television, but, typically,
it does not help people enter a state of flow because they are unlikely to experience any challenges. Additionally, different people find different activities meaningful and enjoyable. Nursing home residents are unlikely
to enjoy playing bingo if they did not enjoy similar games when they
were younger, said Dattilo.

"Learning which activities might enable someone to enter a state of
flow requires asking questions and listening," said Dattilo. "People
tend to thrive on healthy engagement and challenge. My collaborators
and I hope that this research will help people live fuller, happier,
healthier lives." This research was funded by the Ministry of Science
and Technology in Taiwan.

Liang-Chih Chang of National Open University in New Taipei City, Taiwan
was the lead author of this research. Pei-Chun Hseih of Brock University
in Ontario, Canada and Fei-Hsin Huang of Lungwha University of Science
and Technology in Taoyuan City, Taiwan also contributed to this research.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Penn_State. Original written by
Aaron Wagner. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Liang-Chih Chang, John Dattilo, Fei-Hsin Huang. Relationships
of Leisure
Social Support and Flow with Loneliness in International Students in
Taiwan: Implications during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Leisure Sciences,
2022; 1 DOI: 10.1080/01490400.2022.2056550 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220406132430.htm

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