Using tablet in solitude for stress reduction: An examination of desire for aloneness, leisure boredom, tablet activities, and location of use

Desire for aloneness was predictive of instrumental and ritualistic tablet activities.Leisure boredom did not show any relation with tablet activities.Desire for aloneness and the leisurely bored perceived tablet use alone helped reduce stress.Social- and fun seeking-tablet activities predicted perceived stress reduction in tablet use.Tablet use in the privacy of bathroom predicted perception of stress reduction. A tablet may be the best media device to use to spend time alone or enjoy a moment of solitude to release stress. The goal of this study is to examine how the desire for aloneness and leisure boredom play a role in influencing diverse activities when using the tablet and how these socio-psychological states, tablet activities, and location of tablet use may affect the perception of stress reduction, especially when the tablet is used alone. Data were gathered from a probability sample of 948 respondents, of which 348 were tablet users, through a telephone survey. Results indicate that people with a high preference for aloneness were more active tablet users of utility-, information-, social-, and fun seeking-oriented activities, while those who were leisurely bored did not show any significant difference. People with a high desire for aloneness and the leisurely bored tended to have a higher perception that using the tablet in solitude can help them reduce stress. Heavy users of both social- and fun seeking-oriented activities on the tablets also significantly predicted the perception of stress reduction in tablet use alone, particularly in the privacy of their bathroom. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.