SHYNESS AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF LONELINESS

Objectives. Subjective well-being is one of the most widely-researched constructs in the wellbeing literature. It is important, therefore, to obtain and document the predictors of subjective well-being. The aim of the current study was to examine whether loneliness mediated the associations between shyness and subjective wellbeing. Method. The participants comprised 279 (52% females, 48% males) university students who completed the Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Analyses were based on structural equation modeling and bootstrapping procedure. Results. Structural equation modelling indicated that high levels of shyness and loneliness are negatively associated with subjective well-being in Turkish university students. Also, loneliness partially mediated the relationship between shyness and subjective well-being. Moreover, bootstrapping procedure revealed that the indirect effect of shyness on subjective well-being through loneliness was significant. Discussion. The findings of the current study presents an empirical framework for the re-searchers by examining the mediator role of loneliness which is one of the most common human experiences in each period of life on the link between two significant variables. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings were discussed. Study limitations. Due to cross-sectional design the causal inferences cannot be drawn. The data were collected via self-reporting. The sample were university students, the results are not generalizable to other populations.