When the need to belong goes wrong

Baumeister has discussed in detail the need to belong and how it compels people to seek out social encounters in order to improve their well-being. Having disturbed social needs or a desire for connectedness is often associated with negative affect and poor functioning (experimental studies have examined causation here). The authors of this study focus on two disruptions of the need to belong: social anxiety where people feel the need to belong but are impeded due to fears of rejection or embarrassment, and social anhedonia where people are disinterested, withdrawn, and demonstrate little desire to belong.

They use the Experience Sampling Method ("repeatedly assesses subjects in their normal daily environment, thereby enhancing ecological validity; assesses subjects’ experiences in the moment, thereby minimizing retrospective bias; allows for an examination of the context of experiences; and allows the use of sophisticated multilevel analyses.") to show that people higher in social anxiety are more likely to experience negative affect even though they want social contact. They are comfortable with a certain trusted group of friends and interaction with those outside this group is characterised by anxiety and a desire to withdraw to be alone. Those characterised by social anhedonia on the other hand did not fear rejection and had a preference for being alone due to their global deficits in interest and affect.

It would be worthwhile to track the prevalence of social anhedonia in particular in the general population. It is traditionally associated with schizophrenia and schizotypal personality but may be widespread in the normal population due to the ease of choice of an isolated pattern of living. Whilst it is not associated with increased negative affect it does mean diminished positive affect in everyday life. Recent use of the Day Reconstruction Method has pointed to the finding that the vast majority of people present as being more or less happy whereas most unhappiness is due to 10% of the population. This has lead to arguments such as those put forward by Avner Offer, to focus on removing ill-being rather than improving well-being which becomes resistant to change beyond a certain income level.

However, it is important also to consider the emotionally destitute who are neither distressed or excited by life but flat-lining towards poorer and poorer involvement and functioning. Society has failed to inspire these people into the generation of value and meaning. There are theories which point to habituation, or a low reward value on interaction. Perhaps this is basic learning and the opportunities for reliable, consistent social interaction and the associated rewards are declining due to parental working hours, divorce, and are being surpassed and replaced by other more dependable forms of reward.

On the Expression of Social Anhedonia and Social Anxiety in
Daily Life