A cross-sectional study examined emptiness in 992 adults from a sample matched to the US population. Participants completed an anonymous online survey about emptiness, personality, and relationships.
Emptiness was measured as a single experience that included feeling all alone in the world, chronically unfulfilled, absent from one’s own life, forced to exist, and empty inside.
Although emptiness has traditionally been associated with borderline personality disorder, people without that diagnosis can also experience significant emptiness. This study looked at how emptiness relates to a much broader range of personality traits and interpersonal experiences.
The findings were interesting because they pointed in two directions at once. People who felt emptier tended to report more negative emotions, emotional ups and downs, and difficulty in relationships. But they also tended to be more withdrawn, less energetic, less driven, and less enthusiastic.
They were also more likely to describe interpersonal difficulties involving distance and a less assertive role with other people. However, this did not necessarily mean that they strongly wanted their relationships to work that way.
Taken together, the findings suggest that emptiness may involve more than emotional distress alone. It may also involve difficulty becoming engaged with people, activities, and life.
For clinicians, this raises a question: When someone feels empty, are we helping them only cope with distress, or also helping them become more engaged in life?
Reference
Hopwood, C. J., & Gjorgjieva, J. (2024). The place of subjective emptiness in the structure of personality. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, 11, 31. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40479-024-00274-z