Alone Time is Good For Us

Solitude has developed a poor reputation as being something negative, but a trio of researchers are showing just how wonderful solitude can be

Katrina Paulson
12 min readOct 3, 2024

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Photo by Zen Chung — Image Source: Pexels

I saw a meme floating around online a while back saying, “People always tell introverts to be more talkative and leave their comfort zones, yet no one tells extroverts to be quiet and make the zone more comfortable.” While a bit blunt, the quote speaks some Truth.

Society often encourages us to be social while focusing on the negative attributes of solitude. As a result, people who spend time alone are frequently painted as loners, losers, just plain strange, or even dangerous. But this message is, thankfully, changing thanks to recent and expansive research studying the positives of alone time. So settle in because there’s lots to discuss.

Researching Solitude

The negative aspects of feeling alone have inspired writers, artists, intellectuals, and researchers for centuries. Both physical isolation, such as in prisons or hospitals, and social isolation are well-documented to be harmful to our emotional and physical health. However, researchers are shifting their focus away from the more extreme circumstances.

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Katrina Paulson
Katrina Paulson

Written by Katrina Paulson

I wonder about humanity, questions with no answers, and new discoveries. Then I write about them here and on substack! https://curiousadventure.substack.com

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