Being alone can be a very positive thing for your mental health and can provide people with the opportunity to explore their passions in their own leisurely way. Many people are scared of being alone because they think it means they must be lonely. However, this is not the case.
Feeling lonely can also have a negative impact on your mental health, especially if these feelings have lasted a long time. Some research suggests that loneliness is associated with an increased risk of certain mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, sleep problems and increased stress.
"Loneliness can change the neurochemistry of the brain, turning off the dopamine neurons, which trigger the reward response, and causing some degeneration in the brain when the reward response is not activated," says Katherine Peters, MD, PhD, FAAN, associate professor of neurology and neurosurgery at Duke University.
Being alone can help you build mental strength.
We're social creatures, and it's important for us to have strong connections with other people. But solitude is essential to building mental strength.
Loneliness raises levels of stress hormones and blood pressure. It undermines regulation of the circulatory system so that the heart muscle works harder and the blood vessels are subject to damage by blood flow turbulence.
“Being alone helps you become more comfortable in your own skin,” Morins tells Forbes. “When you're by yourself, you can make choices without outside influences. And that will help you develop more insight into who you are as a person.” Holding this degree of self-awareness and resilience is key to a happier life.
Some people naturally prefer time alone and that can be fine. Roughly 50% of the population can be categorized as introverts, meaning they get the most value in life out of time spent on their own.
The research shows that being alone can make you happier and more creative. It is also a key factor in finding flow, which is again linked to happiness and satisfaction. And introverts have long used alone time to ensure positive mental health.
Experts recommend getting 20-30 minutes of alone time every day. This doesn't necessarily mean you have to leave the house and go somewhere on your own—you might sit at the table and drink a cup of coffee by yourself, or bring a book to bed and read it on your own.
When someone feels lonely they are more likely to try to distract themselves with the other things in their lives. So if your colleague is always talking about their stamp collection, or always flying away on exotic solo city breaks rather than spending weekends at home, they might be feeling alone.
NEGATIVE EFFECTS
Loneliness and social isolation are also associated with increased blood pressure, higher cholesterol levels, depression and, if that weren't bad enough, decreases in cognitive abilities and Alzheimer's disease. Humans evolved to be around others.
Introverts rely on alone time to recharge their social batteries, self-reflect, and process the experiences they have with others. Without proper amounts of alone time, introverts can begin to experience irritability, fatigue, poor sleep, and trouble concentrating.
Specifically: People under the age of 40 spend about 3.5 hours alone. People between 40 and 59 years old spend about 4 hours and 45 minutes alone. People 60 and older spend about 7 hours alone.
Some of us are naturally introverts who need time alone to thrive. And there is nothing wrong with preferring your own company. And even an extrovert who prefers to be around others needs some alone time to stay in touch with themselves. But science shows that even if we are introverted, we need connection.
People describe thoughts and feelings of loneliness with words like anxiety, fear, shame and helplessness. These powerful emotions can influence how we act. They can create a downward spiral where loneliness causes someone to withdraw further from family and friends and so become lonelier.
“Although many of us might experience one of these disorders at any point in life, be it depression, anxiety, or any other,” Catchings added, “living alone exacerbates the disorder, putting the person in greater danger.”
Indeed, married people are happier than unmarried people: across nearly five decades of surveys, data from the GSS shows that 36% of people who have ever been married (including divorced, separated, and widowed people) say they are “very happy” while just 11% are “not too happy,” compared to 22% and 15% for people who ...
First, unmarried people who live alone are relatively happy, and generally appear among the better off of the groups surveyed. Second, people who've recently gotten divorced or become widows are less happy than most others.
Being single does not mean you are bad at relationships. In fact, research shows people are staying single for longer and settling down older, and some are choosing to be that way forever. Singledom shouldn't be regarded as anything to be pitied — it should be embraced.
Many people believe that they need to have a significant other to be happy, but this isn't always the case. If you feel fulfilled in life, perhaps by your career, hobbies, or friendships, you can be happy being single forever, and there is no reason to force yourself into a relationship.
Loving a Loner: Bonding Within Boundaries
Apparently, it is possible to have a healthy, wholesome, happy relationship with a loner—who values spending (some of their) time alone.
Solitudinarian. Definition - a person who leads a secluded or solitary life.
However, for introverts, this behavior is normal; it is not a sign of withdrawing from life. Because being around others is tiring for them, they need time alone in order to regain some of their energy. Being alone also gives them a chance to think and figure things out uninterrupted.
Spending time alone can be a chance to focus on your mental health. If you are struggling with anxiety or depression, it can be a chance to work on your self-care. Mental health is just as important as physical health and deserves just as much attention. Improve your mood with some solitude.
What is the longest period one person has spent in total isolation? Maurizio Montalbini spent time in a cave from December 14, 1986 until July 12, 1987. He stayed in a new cave in December 6, 1992 until December 5, 1993. I could not find any other verifiable people with longer records in total isolation.