The Lonely Seller: How Isolation Shapes Ethics and Performance
Social loneliness—the feeling of being disconnected despite potential interaction—has emerged as one of today’s most pressing psychological challenges. The U.S. Surgeon General recently declared society is during a “loneliness epidemic,” one with serious implications for mental and physical health.¹ The workplace, often our primary arena for social contact, has not escaped its reach. Remote work, digital communication, and shifting norms have quietly redefined connection at work.² For salespeople, whose success depends on interpersonal influence and ethical exchanges, loneliness may not just feel bad—it may directly undermine performance.
Our study sought to understand how feelings of social loneliness affect the ethical behaviors and job performance of salespeople. Drawing on social and emotional theories, we proposed that loneliness—by narrowing cognitive and moral focus—reduces ethical decision-making and, in turn, performance outcomes. Further, we examined how two core personality traits, agreeableness and extraversion, moderate these effects. Agreeableness, characterized by empathy and cooperation, was expected to buffer the harmful effects of loneliness; whereas extraversion, with its reliance on social energy and stimulation, was predicted to intensify them. Our findings reveal that social loneliness negatively affects ethical behaviors, and this decline in ethical conduct ultimately diminishes sales performance. Interestingly, personality plays a moderating role: agreeableness softens loneliness’s harmful effects, while extraversion intensifies them. This reversal highlights how two outwardly “social” traits yield contrasting outcomes under isolation, urging managers to consider personality when addressing loneliness in sales settings.
When Connection Fades: The Narrow-and-Constrain View
Broaden-and-build theory argues that positive emotions expand cognitive capacity and creativity, enabling individuals to think broadly and act constructively.³ By contrast, negative emotional states narrow attention and restrict cognition—a dynamic the authors term the “narrow-and-constrain” view.⁴ When loneliness sets in, salespeople lose sight of the bigger picture, focusing instead on short-term fixes or reactive decisions. In other words, the absence of meaningful social connection limits both the breadth of moral reasoning and the depth of strategic thought. Salespeople become less likely to consider the long-term consequences of their actions or to weigh how their decisions affect customers, colleagues, and the organization.
Empirical findings support this theoretical lens. Social loneliness was found to be negatively related to both ethical behaviors and sales performance. Ethical behaviors, in turn, were positively associated with performance, mediating the link between loneliness and outcomes. These patterns reveal that loneliness erodes the ethical decision-making process, leading to short-sighted, self-serving actions that damage customer trust and organizational integrity. Yet the story deepens when personality enters the picture. Agreeableness, characterized by empathy and cooperation, acts as a buffer. Salespeople high in agreeableness tend to uphold ethical conduct even under loneliness, maintaining their focus on the customer’s best interest. Conversely, extraversion, often seen as a social strength, becomes a liability in isolation. Deprived of the stimulation they crave, extraverted salespeople exhibit sharper ethical decline when lonely—reflecting frustration rather than resilience.
Implications for Sales Managers and Organizations
Loneliness is more than a private emotion—it is a business issue with tangible organizational consequences. The findings suggest that loneliness not only harms well-being but also has measurable consequences for ethics and performance, both of which are vital for sustainable success. When salespeople experience social isolation, their sense of belonging and moral orientation can deteriorate, leading to increased stress, impaired judgment, and disengagement from organizational goals. Over time, these psychological strains can manifest in decreased productivity, higher turnover rates, and even ethical lapses that damage a firm’s reputation and customer trust. Managers can take proactive steps to mitigate these risks and promote connections. Regular one-on-one and team check-ins can help identify early signs of loneliness before they manifest in performance issues. Mentorship structures that pair experienced salespeople with newer colleagues can enhance trust, collaboration, and social connection.
Organizations should also work to reinforce ethical cultures. Recognizing honesty and ethical decision-making through positive feedback, public acknowledgment, and transparent reward systems can strengthen employees’ moral resolve.⁵ When ethical behaviors are visibly rewarded and celebrated, it becomes woven into the identity of the organization rather than treated as an afterthought. Managers should also ensure transparency in how rewards, commissions, and promotions are determined to reduce perceptions of unfairness, which often exacerbate feelings of isolation and cynicism. Managers must further understand the role of personality traits in this dynamic. Agreeable employees can sustain positive influence during periods of isolation, while extraverted team members may require more consistent social engagement to remain grounded and ethical.
Ethical behaviors do more than uphold organizational values—they directly improve the bottom line.⁶ On average, salespeople with strong ethical practices outperform their peers by 13%, demonstrating that in sales, integrity truly pays. By fostering environments that prioritize connection, transparency, and ethical recognition, organizations can not only reduce loneliness but also build resilient, high-performing teams that sustain trust and profitability over time.
Recommended Reading
Lussier, Bruno, Laurianne Schmitt, and Willy Bolander (2025), “Salesperson Social Loneliness, Ethical Behaviors, and Performance: A Two-Wave Study,” Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/10696679.2025.2550023
References
U.S. Surgeon General (2023), Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Muldoon, Matthew (2025), “Workplace Connection in a Remote Era,” Organizational Behavior Review, 48(1), 45-59.
Fredrickson, Barbara L. (2001), “The Role of Positive Emotions in Positive Psychology: The Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions,” American Psychologist, 56(3), 218-226.
Fredrickson, Barbara L. and Christine Branigan (2005), “Positive Emotions Broaden the Scope of Attention and Thought-Action Repertoires,” Cognition & Emotion, 19(3), 313-332.
Bowers, Rachel, Jacob King, and Lila Patel (2022), “The Economic Toll of Workplace Stress,” Journal of Occupational Health, 64(4), 275-289.
6. Lussier, Bruno, Nathaniel N. Hartmann, and Willy Bolander (2021), “Curbing the Undesirable Effects of Emotional Exhaustion on Ethical Behaviors and Performance: A Salesperson–Manager Dyadic Approach,” Journal of Business Ethics, 169(4), 747-766.
About the Authors
Bruno Lussier, PhD
Associate Professor of Marketing, HEC Montréal (Canada)
Dr. Bruno Lussier (PhD – University Grenoble Alpes) conducts research primarily on sales force effectiveness. His research interests include sales management, business-to-business (B2B) selling, relationship marketing, mental health and wellbeing, and ethics. He has published multiple articles in outlets including the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Business Research, and Industrial Marketing Management, among others. Prior to his academic career, he held various positions in professional sales and marketing in several B2B firms.
Laurianne Schmitt, PhD
Assistant Professor of Marketing, IESEG School of Management (France)
Dr. Laurianne Schmitt (PhD – EM Strasbourg) specializes in B2B sales research. Her work focuses on how sales professionals leverage emerging technologies, such as social media and artificial intelligence, as well as on strategic sales roles including Key Account Management. More broadly, her research seeks to advance understanding of sales performance while promoting greater well-being among salespeople. Her work has been published in leading academic journals, including Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of International Marketing, and Journal of Business Research.
Willy Bolander, PhD
Rader II Professor of Industrial Distribution, Texas A&M University
Dr. Willy Bolander (PhD – University of Houston) studies influence, persuasion, and leadership in business relationships. He has published in the Journal of Marketing, the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, the Journal of Business Ethics, and the Journal of Retailing, among others. Willy also hosts The Sales Lab Podcast (www.thesaleslab.org), featuring discussions where the world’s top sales leaders share their secrets.
