Reframing Self-Objectified Women’s Loneliness Experience: The Mediating Roles of Intrasexual Competition and Romantic Interpretation Bias

Despite being a psychological process rooted in interpersonal interactions (i.e., sexual objectification), few studies have explored the interpersonal consequences of women’s self-objectification. While some research has linked self-objectification to loneliness—an experience often arising in interpersonal contexts—these studies have primarily framed the association from an intrapersonal perspective. This study seeks to reframe the relationship between self-objectification and loneliness through the lens of interpersonal dynamics, examining the mediating effects of women’s intrasexual competition tendencies when interacting with women and romantic interpretation bias (RIB) when interacting with men.
Findings from two studies conducted among Chinese women—a seven-day diary study involving female university students (Study 1, N = 114) and a fully-controlled experiment recruiting female participants from an online survey platform (Study 2, N = 198)—indicated that women with a high degree of self-objectification are more likely to engage in intrasexual competition, which in turn contributes to increased loneliness. Although a link between self-objectification and RIB was identified, the mediating effect of RIB on the self-objectification—loneliness relationship was not demonstrated. This study contributes to the literature on self-objectification and offers insights for interventions aimed at reducing women’s loneliness.