The Relationship between Individuals’ Social Networks and Satisfaction with Life: The Mediating Role of Loneliness

Abstract

Humans are social beings, pre-programmed to form connections even before birth. Every individual has a set of connections with a group of people, through whom the need to socially connect with others is satisfied. A failure to satisfy these needs can have detrimental effects on an individual. Commonly known phenomena such as social isolation can be perceived as feelings of loneliness in the absence of adequate social connections. Despite the understanding that loneliness is typically prevalent in the elderly population, recent surveys show that young adults are lonelier than any other age group despite having the highest amount of social connections. Yet a limited number of research has been conducted to date on loneliness among young adults. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether loneliness was influenced by social network characteristics, and, in turn, could predict satisfaction with life (SWL). Data was collected using a survey disseminated among young adults aged 19- 24. Using a sample of 194 participants, results revealed that the relationships between two out of four structural characteristics (average closeness and frequency of interaction) and SWL were significantly mediated by loneliness, while the other two (network size and network density) were not. The relationship between the functional network characteristic of perceived social support and SWL was also significantly mediated by loneliness. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the limitations and implications of these findings.