ORCID
0000-0002-6061-2573
Date of Award
2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Elizabeth C. Pinel
Abstract
Existential isolation, the feeling of being alone in one’s experience, as though nobody else shares it (Pinel et al., 2017), predicts negative outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and reduced empathy (Sharp et al., 2023; Pinel et al., 2018b). One potential way to alleviate existential isolation is I-sharing, those moments when two or more people believe that they are having the same in-the-moment experience of a stimulus (Pinel et al., 2004). This study examined the moderating role of one’s trait existential isolation on the effects of consistency of I-sharing. Participants (N = 289) were randomly assigned to either an initial I-sharing or control condition at Time 1, followed by a second phase at Time 2 where those in the I-sharing group were randomly assigned to either a Consistent or Inconsistent I-sharing condition. At Time 1, initial I-sharing reduced relational existential isolation, with this effect being more pronounced among participants high in trait existential isolation. At Time 2, Consistent I-sharing maintained reductions in relational existential isolation, whereas Inconsistent I-sharing led to increases in relational existential isolation, particularly for those high in trait existential isolation. For liking and emotional outcomes, I-sharing increased liking and promoted more positive emotions at Time 1; however, at Time 2, Inconsistent I-sharing led to decreases in liking and increases in negative emotions, regardless of trait existential isolation. Moderated mediation analyses showed that the effects of Inconsistency of I-sharing on liking and emotions were mediated by increases in relational existential isolation, which was more pronounced for participants high in trait existential isolation. These findings show the critical role of relational existential isolation in mediating the effects of I-sharing and highlight the importance of consistent I-sharing, particularly for those high in trait existential isolation.
Language
en
Number of Pages
84 p.
Recommended Citation
Park, Young Chin, "Does I-sharing help with chronic feelings of existential isolation?" (2025). Graduate College Dissertations and Theses. 1992.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/1992