Loneliness and relationship dispositions in emerging adults: Gender and culture as moderators

Prior research has provided evidence of the link between loneliness and the number of past sexual partners—suggesting the role of short-term intimate connections as a strategy to fulfill belongingness needs. The current study examined whether increased loneliness was associated with increased tendencies to engage in short-term sexual (sociosexuality) and romantic (emophilia) relationships with a sample of 319 Malaysian emerging adults. We also tested whether these associations varied by gender and cultural orientation. Findings from a cross-sectional survey revealed that lonelier individuals generally reported higher emophilia. The positive association between loneliness and sociosexuality, however, was only present among those who were high in vertical individualism (i.e., socialized to construe themselves as independent and different from others). Gender did not moderate either of these associations. These results suggest that the loneliness-driven short-term connections may be less readily manifested as sexual tendencies in populations that are more sexually conservative. Our findings highlight the importance of considering the role of cultural differences at the individual level in addition to the overall cultural context when examining intimate relationship tendencies.