The Paradox of Alleviating Loneliness with Immersion: The Conflict between Relational Closeness and Escapism

As discussions around the critical issue of social isolation continue to gain prominence, the severe impacts of loneliness have garnered global attention as well as that of numerous organizations and authorities. Given the significant positive correlation between loneliness and suicidal tendencies, alleviating loneliness is a crucial intervention, and immersive environments hold practical potential in this area. However, prior inconsistent findings illustrate a paradoxical situation in alleviating loneliness with immersion. Specifically, heightened users’ perceived relational closeness and reality escapism, shaped by immersive environment features configured and utilized by users, may have competing effects on reducing users’ loneliness. This study aims to contribute to the literature by offering a systematic and scientific understanding of the paradoxical situation of alleviating loneliness with immersion from the theoretical lens of the Uses and Gratifications Theory. It also potentially provides empirical insights for stakeholders to design immersive environments that enhance society’s mental well-being.