6 Important Things That Happen When You Take Time To Be Alone

During a time when the definition of isolation has taken on an entirely new context and depth of meaning for relatively everyone on the planet, it’s important to keep in mind that being alone doesn’t necessarily have to mean being lonely.

In fact, an increasing amount of research indicates that being able to spend some good old-fashioned, one-on-one time with yourself is linked to improved life satisfaction, better mental health, and more rewarding social interactions, amongst additional values (1).

It’s true — we are more starved for physical connection and human touch than ever before, but the root of these issues largely remain out of our individual control. What else is there to do but to try and make the best out of the situation?

So maybe you’ve been forced to become acquainted with the following outcomes against your will as a result of living alone during a period of lockdown, or perhaps you’re just curious as to whether or not your innate propensity for introversion bears any benefits.

Whether yours is a case of the former, the latter, or anything in between, this article is going to break down the 6 important things that happen when you take time to be alone with yourself.

1. Improve your capacity for creativity:

Where loneliness can be considered a negative and harmful state of being, solitude, in contrast, is a highly positive one… when done right.

Although there are bound to be differences between how individuals might prefer to spend their alone time, science suggests activities like talking a walk, learning something new, reading a book, or meditating as a great way to cash in on the upsides of solitude.

Research also shows that solitude can be a crucial component of maintaining a colourful imagination and allowing our creative juices to naturally replenish (2).

This is due to one key experience that often comes along with the process of being alone, aka boredom.

As writers, readers, and general day-to-day creatives, we likely understand (if not already utilize) the enhanced power of creativity that accompanies a peaceful retreat from all social interactions.

When we take a voluntary step back from expressing ourselves to others or contemplating what others are expressing to us, we can fall into a form of boredom that necessitates a desire for us to express our ideas in a different format — be that through writing, choreographing a dance, or painting an elaborate landscape.

Not only does boredom generate creativity, but it requires it. When faced with a lack of opportunity for personal expression, humans are hard-wired to seek self-entertainment in the form of creative problem-solving, crafting hands, or even just by allowing the mind to wander.

“When I am completely by myself, entirely alone or during the night when I cannot sleep, it is on such occasions that my ideas flow best and most abundantly. Whence and how these ideas come I know not nor can I force them.”

~ Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

2. Deepen the relationship you have with yourself

While the notion of solitude can be a scary thought for certain types of people (extroverts, I see you!), know that by coming to terms with the prospect of spending some time by yourself, you might actually learn a thing or two.

This phenomenon occurs anytime you consciously embrace the freedom to do, say, and act exactly how you like, a process that’s never easier than when your only company is you!

Research that connects the benefits of solitude with a deepening of the relationship with oneself, outlines the increased ability to behave in a balanced manner, self-regulate one’s mood, and enrich one’s perspective-taking capabilities (3).

Control plays a large part in the act of alone time, with the reminder that all true fulfillment must come from within.

So, even if your highly extroverted self shudders at the idea at first, hang in there, and see if there isn’t something to be gained by enjoying a little ‘me time’ every once in a while.

“It’s all about the noise-to-signal ratio. We are more constantly bombarded by unnatural stimuli than ever before. We need to put ourselves in places of decreased sensory input so we can hear the background signals of our psychological processes. As the noise decreases, the signals become clearer, we can hear ourselves again, and we reunite. Time alone simplifies the heart.”

~ Matthew McConaughey, Greenlights

3. Boost your intimacy with others:

Not only can positive solitude benefit your relationship with yourself, but research demonstrates that it may have a significant impact on your relationship with others, too!

Studies on the effects of alone time indicate that when individuals are more comfortable taking time to be with themselves, they tend to exhibit characteristics that facilitate more positive social interactions, as a result (4).

What this means — especially for any over thinkers in the building — is that by setting aside the time for moments of solitude throughout the day, you allow yourself to more attentively process your own internal monologue.

Subsequently, when you return from your solitude to the company of others, you might experience less mental distraction, allowing you to be more fully engaged with those you like and love.

In addition, by securing some solitude, research suggests that you are better equipped to exemplify your greatest qualities — aka, put your best foot forward — which, in turn, also lends itself to the strengthening of your intimate relationships with others.

In other words: learn to be with yourself, so that you can be better at learning with others.

“To have passed through life and never experienced solitude is to have never known oneself. To have never known oneself is to have never known anyone.”

~ Joseph Krutch

4. Enhance your productivity

While open floor plans and walls made of clear glass windows might improve the morale of employees, students, or family members, alike, they do not fare very well when it comes to harnessing productivity.

In fact, research shows that being constantly surrounded by other people is one of the fasted ways to not only take longer to complete the tasks at hand but also to perform worse, in general (5).

The potential lack of privacy, higher frequency of disruption, inability to control noise levels, and the ongoing desire to engage with others can all contribute negatively to your workflow — whatever that may be for you, at the time.

What’s more, is that contrary to the perceived benefits of group brainstorming, studies have found that when it comes to the ability to recall information, individuals working on their own, versus in a collaborative environment, outperformed the individuals working within a group, time and time again. This effect is known within the field of psychology as collaborative inhibition.

So, as it turns out, people need a little bit of privacy to be their most productive. Take time to be alone, and observe what you can accomplish, both mentally and physically, for yourself.

“Our society is much more interested in information than wonder, in noise rather than silence. And I feel that we need a lot more wonder and a lot more silence in our lives.”

~ Fred Rogers

5. Develop your strength of mind:

When interviewed about their preference for alone time, participants in one particular study cited a wide range of benefits that they claimed to experience.

These benefits included the increased experience of happiness, improved stress management, better life satisfaction, greater stability of mental health, and also one interesting quality referred to as ‘strength of mind (6).’

Indeed, it was found that individuals who placed a high value — nay necessity — on the act of being alone, were the same ones who reflected an increased facility for resilience, balanced emotional responses, as well as remaining calm under pressure.

Not dissimilar to the positive consequences of practiced meditation, the centering of oneself in one’s mind that occurs as the result of solitude, therefore, enables us to reap the rewards of mindfulness and its ongoing development.

“Spending time alone in your own company reinforces your self-worth and is often the number-one way to replenish your resilience reserves.”

~ Sam Owen, Resilient Me: How to Worry Less and Achieve More

6. Increase your empathy and awareness towards others:

One fascinating finding of the scientific research on the subject of solitude and self-improvement concerns the ramifications of spending time away from technology and digital communication with others.

That’s right, not only are there benefits to be obtained from taking time to be alone, but there is also something to be said from taking a step back from ‘socializing’ via our phones and tablets.

In this particular study, teenagers were asked to go 5 days without the use of screen-based media or social communication platforms. At the end of the 5 days, the ability for the teens to interpret emotions and facial expressions of others sky-rocketed (7).

The participants’ capacity to recognize nonverbal cues and body language significantly improved as a result of the time spent away from technological forms of communication, as the body increased its attention to detail during the in-person interactions that followed.

Alternatively, by spending the right type of (phone-free) time by oneself, we also remove the motivation to judge others and rely on meaningless measures of comparison, such as money, attractiveness, or material possessions. This occurs due to the boost in self-image and self-esteem that accompanies accepting the desire for time away from others to work on oneself.

“Blessed are those who do not fear solitude, who are not afraid of their own company, who are not always desperately looking for something to do, something to amuse themselves with, something to judge.”

~ Paulo Coelho

I hope you found these 6 important things that happen when you take time to be alone helpful, and that — whether you consider yourself to be an introvert or an extrovert — you can apply some of these scientific findings to your own health, happiness, and life, too!

Alexandra Walker-Jones — February 2021

Text References: