Misremembering Solitude: The Role of Personality and Cultural Self‐Concepts in Shaping Discrepancies Between Recalled and Concurrent Affect in Solitude

Abstract

ABSTRACTBackgroundAffect recall is key to psychological assessment and decision‐making. However, self‐concepts (self‐beliefs) may bias retrospective affect reports such that they deviate from lived experiences. Does this experience‐memory gap apply to solitude experiences? We hypothesized that individuals misremember how they feel overall and when in solitude, in line with self‐concepts of introversion, self‐determined/not‐self‐determined solitude motivations, and independent/interdependent self‐construal. A pilot study comparing retrospective to daily affect reports captured over 2 weeks (N = 104 UK university students) provided preliminary evidence of introversion and not‐self‐determined solitude shaping affect recall.MethodsIn the main pre‐registered study, participants aged 18–49 in the UK (N = 160) and Hong Kong (N = 159) reported their momentary affective states and social situations 5 times per day over 7 days, then recalled how they felt over the week.Results and DiscussionIndividuals higher in self‐determined solitude were more prone to retrospectively overestimate their high‐ and low‐arousal positive affect in solitude and showed less overestimation/more underestimation of negative affect in solitude. Higher not‐self‐determined solitude was associated with overestimating loneliness, and higher interdependent self‐construal with overestimating loneliness and energy levels, in solitude. Comparisons based on residence/ethnicity suggest culture influences solitude‐seeking and affective memory. Implications for well‐being and affect measurement are discussed.