This too shall pass? Perceived emotion duration influences lonely individuals’ preferences for social reconnection versus solitude in consumer decision contexts

Abstract Background Loneliness does not always motivate people to seek social reconnection. Focusing on situationally induced loneliness, this study examines whether perceived emotion duration shapes preferences for socially connected versus solitary options in consumer decision contexts. It also tests whether need to belong and self-determined solitude motivation mediate this effect. Methods Two online experiments with adults in the United States induced loneliness and manipulated perceived emotion duration. Study 1 ( N = 256) examined choice between movie options associated with social connection versus solitude. Study 2 ( N = 305) replicated this effect in a purchase context and tested need to belong and self-determined solitude motivation as mediators. Analyses included chi-square tests, independent-samples and one-sample t-tests, and mediation analysis using Hayes’s PROCESS macro (Model 4). Results Across both studies, participants in the lasting-emotion condition showed greater preference for socially connected options than did those in the fleeting-emotion condition. In Study 1, participants in the lasting-emotion condition were more likely to choose the socially connected movie option, whereas those in the fleeting-emotion condition were more likely to choose the solitary movie option. In Study 2, participants in the lasting-emotion condition reported stronger preference for the socially connected drama option over the solitary drama option than did those in the fleeting-emotion condition. Need to belong and self-determined solitude motivation mediated this effect. Conclusions Perceived emotion duration influences how lonely individuals respond to their emotional state in consumer decision contexts. When emotions are perceived as lasting, lonely individuals show a stronger preference for options associated with social connection, whereas when emotions are perceived as temporary, they show a stronger preference for options associated with solitude. These findings suggest that perceived emotion duration may help explain divergent coping-related preferences within situationally induced loneliness and may inform consumer communication strategies.