Is Mobility Linked to Higher or Lower Loneliness? The Importance of Freedom and Instability

How is interpersonal and intergroup mobility related to loneliness? Disentangling different facets of mobility may be crucial to understanding the link. We propose that the disruption of life and long-term relationships inherent in a mobile society (i.e., instability facet) is linked to higher loneliness, whereas the opportunities and freedom existing in a mobile society (i.e., freedom facet) are associated with lower loneliness. We developed a community stability scale to capture the former and examined the associations between different measures of mobility and loneliness. Across two studies, one in Japan ( n = 881) and the other in two cultures (Japan and United States; n = 4,163) that vary in levels of mobility, both community stability (high stability) and relational mobility (high freedom) were associated with lower loneliness, which was partially mediated by social isolation. These findings suggest that whether mobility is linked to higher or lower loneliness depends on its specific facets.