Why Valentine’s Day Feels So Lonely

Описание: Why Valentine’s Day feels lonely is deeply connected to psychology, social comparison, and emotional pressure.
This psychology video explains why so many people feel lonely on Valentine’s Day and how the brain processes social expectations.

Why does loneliness feel heavier on certain days — even when nothing in your life has actually changed?

This video breaks down the psychological mechanisms that amplify loneliness, including social comparison, perceived social scrutiny, emotional contagion, artificial time pressure, and context-dependent perception. By understanding how these processes operate in the brain, the experience of loneliness can feel less personal, less permanent, and more manageable.

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Academic Sources Used in This Video

Social Comparison Theory
Festinger, L. (1954). A Theory of Social Comparison Processes. Human Relations, 7(2), 117–140.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726754007...

Spotlight Effect & Social Surveillance
Gilovich, T., Medvec, V. H., & Savitsky, K. (2000). The Spotlight Effect in Social Judgment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78(2), 211–222.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.78....

Gilovich, T., & Savitsky, K. (1999). The Spotlight Effect and the Illusion of Transparency. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 8(6), 165–168.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.00039

Emotional Contagion
Hatfield, E., Cacioppo, J. T., & Rapson, R. L. (1993). Emotional Contagion. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2(3), 96–100.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.ep1...

Hatfield, E., Cacioppo, J. T., & Rapson, R. L. (1994). Emotional Contagion. Cambridge University Press.

Scarcity & Time Pressure
Cialdini, R. B. (1984). Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. William Morrow and Company.

Worchel, S., Lee, J., & Adewole, A. (1975). Effects of Supply and Demand on Ratings of Object Value. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32(5), 906–914.

Context-Dependent Cognition
Kahneman, D., & Tversky, A. (1979). Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision Under Risk. Econometrica, 47(2), 263–291.

00:00 Why Valentine’s Day Feels Lonely
00:30 Social Comparison
01:39 Artificial Time Pressure
02:45 Emotional Framing
03:44 The Spotlight Effect