Loneliness has been associated with multiple negative outcomes. But what contributes to loneliness in the first place? Drawing from the literature on the importance of self-regulatory ability for successful social functioning, the present research explored the role of low self-control as a factor leading to loneliness. A set of four studies (and three additional studies in Supplementary Online Materials) using cross-sectional, experimental, daily diary, and experience sampling methods showed that lower self-control is associated with higher loneliness at both trait and state levels. Why does low self-control contribute to loneliness? Self-control failures that have negative implications for others lead to higher risks for being ostracized by others, which predicts increased feelings of loneliness over time. These results suggest that low self-control, which is often associated with negative intrapersonal outcomes, can have important interpersonal consequences by evoking ostracism, and consequently, loneliness.

孤独与多种负面结果有关。但首先是什么导致了孤独？本研究从关于自我调节能力对成功社会运作的重要性的文献中汲取灵感，探讨了低自我控制作为导致孤独的一个因素的作用。使用横断面、实验、日常日记和经验抽样方法的一组四项研究（以及补充在线材料中的三项额外研究）表明，较低的自我控制与较高的孤独感在特质和状态水平上都有关联。为什么低自控力会导致孤独？对他人产生负面影响的自我控制失败会导致被他人排斥的风险更高，这预示着随着时间的推移孤独感会增加。