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Background: Current models of loneliness emphasise the role of maladaptive cognitions in causing and/or maintaining loneliness. However, standardised paradigms to experimentally examine the role of maladaptive cognition in loneliness are lacking, making it difficult to establish causality. This paper tested a mock online chat paradigm designed to induce changes in negative affect (loneliness, depression, and anxiety), and strength of belief in lonely thoughts, by manipulating comparative and normative fit.Participants (N = 59) were randomised into either the loneliness arm (i.e., loneliness induction chat followed by a social connectedness induction chat), or the social connectedness arm (i.e., two separate social connectedness induction chats), and subsequently completed outcome measures.The experimental paradigm significantly and specifically increased lonely affect; however, this was associated with non-significant changes in strength of belief in lonely thoughts. The social connectedness induction chat led to significant reductions in broad negative affect for both groups, with these effects accruing across chats for participants in the social connectedness arm.Experimentally manipulating comparative and normative fit to either emphasise differences or similarities between an individual and group members is an effective paradigm for increasing lonely affect or decreasing general negative affect, respectively.Methods: Current models of loneliness emphasise the role of maladaptive cognitions in causing and/or maintaining loneliness. However, standardised paradigms to experimentally examine the role of maladaptive cognition in loneliness are lacking, making it difficult to establish causality. This paper tested a mock online chat paradigm designed to induce changes in negative affect (loneliness, depression, and anxiety), and strength of belief in lonely thoughts, by manipulating comparative and normative fit.Participants (N = 59) were randomised into either the loneliness arm (i.e., loneliness induction chat followed by a social connectedness induction chat), or the social connectedness arm (i.e., two separate social connectedness induction chats), and subsequently completed outcome measures.The experimental paradigm significantly and specifically increased lonely affect; however, this was associated with non-significant changes in strength of belief in lonely thoughts. The social connectedness induction chat led to significant reductions in broad negative affect for both groups, with these effects accruing across chats for participants in the social connectedness arm.Experimentally manipulating comparative and normative fit to either emphasise differences or similarities between an individual and group members is an effective paradigm for increasing lonely affect or decreasing general negative affect, respectively.Results: Current models of loneliness emphasise the role of maladaptive cognitions in causing and/or maintaining loneliness. However, standardised paradigms to experimentally examine the role of maladaptive cognition in loneliness are lacking, making it difficult to establish causality. This paper tested a mock online chat paradigm designed to induce changes in negative affect (loneliness, depression, and anxiety), and strength of belief in lonely thoughts, by manipulating comparative and normative fit.Participants (N = 59) were randomised into either the loneliness arm (i.e., loneliness induction chat followed by a social connectedness induction chat), or the social connectedness arm (i.e., two separate social connectedness induction chats), and subsequently completed outcome measures.The experimental paradigm significantly and specifically increased lonely affect; however, this was associated with non-significant changes in strength of belief in lonely thoughts. The social connectedness induction chat led to significant reductions in broad negative affect for both groups, with these effects accruing across chats for participants in the social connectedness arm.Experimentally manipulating comparative and normative fit to either emphasise differences or similarities between an individual and group members is an effective paradigm for increasing lonely affect or decreasing general negative affect, respectively.Conclusion: Current models of loneliness emphasise the role of maladaptive cognitions in causing and/or maintaining loneliness. However, standardised paradigms to experimentally examine the role of maladaptive cognition in loneliness are lacking, making it difficult to establish causality. This paper tested a mock online chat paradigm designed to induce changes in negative affect (loneliness, depression, and anxiety), and strength of belief in lonely thoughts, by manipulating comparative and normative fit.Participants (N = 59) were randomised into either the loneliness arm (i.e., loneliness induction chat followed by a social connectedness induction chat), or the social connectedness arm (i.e., two separate social connectedness induction chats), and subsequently completed outcome measures.The experimental paradigm significantly and specifically increased lonely affect; however, this was associated with non-significant changes in strength of belief in lonely thoughts. The social connectedness induction chat led to significant reductions in broad negative affect for both groups, with these effects accruing across chats for participants in the social connectedness arm.Experimentally manipulating comparative and normative fit to either emphasise differences or similarities between an individual and group members is an effective paradigm for increasing lonely affect or decreasing general negative affect, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evidence about empathy in people high in social anxiety has produced mixed outcomes. The current study aimed to compare cognitive and emotional forms of empathy among university women who were high or low in social anxiety. Methods: Empathy was assessed using both self-report and a directly observable social interaction task. Sixty adult women with either high or low levels of social anxiety completed a self-report measure of empathy and also engaged with a female confederate online. The interpersonal exchange included disclosure of a recent stressful experience by the confederate and participants' responses were coded for indicators of cognitive and emotional empathy. Results were analysed with depression both controlled and not controlled. Results: When depression was statistically controlled, participants who were high in social anxiety demonstrated more robust indicators of empathy on both self-report and the interpersonal exchange for both cognitive and emotional measures of empathy. Results were very similar when depression was not statistically controlled, however the groups no longer differed significantly on the self-report measure of cognitive empathy. Conclusions: The implications for these findings on the interpersonal functioning of socially anxious individuals are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]