How much solitude is too much?
Monday, January 8, 2024.
Solitude may sometimes convey a chance for self-discovery but how much is too much?
Strange as it may seem, being alone can be good for your mental health, under appropriate circumstances.
The relationship between being alone and feeling lonely is quite complicated. This study emphasizes that your mileage may vary. Solitude does not reliably provoke loneliness.
There is no ‘correct’ amount of time to spend alone, rather it is about knowing what’s right for you.
What could be the right amount of alone time for one human, might be way too much, or nowhere near enough, for another.
How the study was conducted
The conclusions come from a study that tracked 178 study subjects for three weeks continuously.
Each subject recorded entries into a diary of their daily experience, including, specifically, the amount of time they spent alone.
This study found that being alone has both advantages and disadvantages…
Humans often found that being alone reduced their stress levels.
With more time alone, humans felt freer to choose their activities and be themselves without pressure from other humans that they feel a need to amuse or entertain.
The flip side was that more time alone is linked to loneliness.
The more time people spent alone each day, the more likely they were to feel lonely.
The choice to be alone…
One of the key differentiators was whether a human chooses to be alone.
When people chose to be alone, the negative impact of solitude was obviated.
With negative cognition curbed, the feelings of greater autonomy and life satisfaction rendered solitude a more productive process.
The study underlines the fact that solitude, when used appropriately, might even have a beneficial impact. We’re learning more and more that loneliness from our experiences during COVID.
Being alone may offer you an opportunity to learn more about yourself, and your place in the world.
Professor Netta Weinstein, the study’s first author, said:
“The enforced lockdowns of the pandemic highlighted many of the long-lasting impacts that can occur when we are starved of interaction with other people. Yet this study highlights some of the benefits that solitude can bring.
Time alone can leave us feeling less stress and free to be ourselves.
This study highlights that spending time alone can be a healthy, positive choice, and that there is no universal level of socialization or solitude to aim for.”
The study’s authors conclude that:
“…solitude offers an opportunity for self-exploration and self-connection, presumably because it gives individuals the space to pursue activities in which they are truly interested in or want to do.
When in solitude, there is less of a need to compromise or negotiate how time is spent, and individuals can be freed from social pressures and expectations.”
What I love about this research is its openness to neurodivergence. The researchers avoided thinking about the best way to enjoy solitude. I love research which is relaxed, open to, and accepting of human variations.
Be well, stay kind and Godspeed.
REFERENCES:
Weinstein, N., Vuorre, M., Adams, M. et al. Balance between solitude and socializing: everyday solitude time both benefits and harms well-being. Sci Rep 13, 21160 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-44507-7
