BUFFALO — When it comes to seeking solitude, many people often blame mental health issues as an underlying cause. But a new study finds that being alone has its benefits too, particularly when it comes to people looking for a surge of creativity.
Researchers at the University of Buffalo interviewed 295 privacy-valuing individuals who reported a variety of reasons for their tendency to spend a lot of time alone, ranging from feeling fear or anxiety around others to preferring to use spare time working on a craft.
Although research has traditionally suggested that excessive time alone can be unhealthy, some seclusive pursuits, such as trying to connect to nature or get a better sense of self, can be constructive, the researchers found.
“We have to understand why someone is withdrawing to understand the associated risks and benefits,” says Julie Bowker, the study’s lead author, in a university release.
“When people think about the costs associated with social withdrawal, oftentimes they adopt a developmental perspective,” she continues. “During childhood and adolescence, the idea is that if you’re removing yourself too much from your peers, then you’re missing out on positive interactions like receiving social support, developing social skills and other benefits of interacting with your peers.”
Bowker believes that the presumed downsides of being alone and withdrawing have lent such a preference a hard-to-erase stigma.
More recent research, including this latest study, has begun to recognize the potential benefits of alone time — provided it’s an intentional choice prompted by positive emotions.
Deeming individuals who follow such guidelines “unsociable,” Bowker explains that they may enjoy reading, working on the computer, or otherwise spending precious time alone.
Importantly, unsociable individuals, whether young and old, are not at increased risk of experiencing negative health outcomes. In fact, the researchers found that they may enjoy a special benefit: improved creativity.
“Although unsociable youth spend more time alone than with others, we know that they spend some time with peers. They are not antisocial,” Bowker emphasizes. “They don’t initiate interaction, but also don’t appear to turn down social invitations from peers. Therefore, they may get just enough peer interaction so that when they are alone, they are able to enjoy that solitude. They’re able to think creatively and develop new ideas — like an artist in a studio or the academic in his or her office.”
Other, less healthy forms of isolation include social avoidance (i.e., choosing to withdraw due to fear), and social withdrawal (i.e., shyness), she notes.
While these two forms may overlap with unsociability, neither would appear to confer the benefits of the latter.
“Over the years, unsociability has been characterized as a relatively benign form of social withdrawal,” Bowker concludes. “But, with the new findings linking it to creativity, we think unsociability may be better characterized as a potentially beneficial form of social withdrawal.”
The study’s findings were published Personality and Individual Differences.
We needed a study to tell us that there are benefits to some alone time, and that it can boost your creativity? Who knew?
That’s because you have people out there that don’t believe anything unless it comes from some peer review, or scientific evidence. Too many spineless whinnies out there afraid to live.
I believe there is a more pervasive “mental health” issue: The fear of having to face yourself alone.
‘Researchers at the University of Buffalo interviewed 295 privacy-valuing individuals who reported a variety of reasons for their tendency to spend a lot of time alone, ranging from feeling fear or anxiety around others to preferring to use spare time working on a craft.’
=======
Junk science – actually, pseudo-science. A child ought to be able to spot the problems with this ‘research.’
One wonders who is paying for such stuff. Very likely the taxpayer is being hit for much or all of it.
I have been bipolar (diagnosed 30 years ago) and yeah, it is real although an over diagnosed illness to be sure. I also have a husband and two daughters; one of who still lives at home. Some of my best times are when my daughter is spending the night at a friends house and my husband is at a racquetball tournament and I have 10 or so hours of uninterrupted alone time. It isn’t because of my illness at all.
i think going through your entire life with someone, wife, kids, grandkids has its drawbacks just as being alone with no wife, or kids your entire life.
But in this day n age, we have many people who have done both. Been alone, and been with their wife, GF and kids or grand kids if they have them.
Personally i think neither one of the three has the advantage over the others. Its what you want and generally we do what we feel most comfortable doing, be it alone or with family around, or leaving one to be alone or have a companion and a family
lI like to spend time alone because I grew up with 9 siblings!
My momma always said that being alone is where you find yourself, where you reflect, and where you gather for the moments you are not. But right now, there isnt much to gain from being around others and collaborating so this tends to favor solitude. It does for me. I prefer my solitude, not because I don’t like people, but because people now a days make things too complicated. Everything is over analyzed, over extended, and over expressed. Too many people with big mouths and little to say. I like my solitude because I don’t like dealing with ignorant people and have an actual intellectual conversation with my self and my thoughts.
gay liar
Oh look, extroverts trying to understand introverts. You just won’t, you’re just different. As an introvert, being around people is mentally taxing to me and I prefer to be alone. It doesn’t mean I’m mentally ill, or somehow wrong. I’m just different to most of you. To an extrovert, being around people is probably comfortable. You enjoy socializing and listening to what others have experienced recently. To an introvert, that takes effort. You should feel fortunate if your invitation to socialize is deemed worth that effort. We prefer to spend time alone because it’s as mentally refreshing for an introvert to be alone as it is for an extrovert to be at a party with all their friends. In our chosen solitude we still find some outlet, oftentimes in the making of things. Sorry, but there really aren’t any big revelations here…
Often seeing an Evite in the inbox is worse than seeing a bill.
Yes, people usually do their best and most creative thinking, not necessarily when alone but when not distracted by other people. Think of ideas that have come to you in the shower (presumably alone). Joe Walsh was said to have gotten the idea for Life’s Been Good while cutting his grass. Turn off the electronics while you exercise, paint, vacuum, wash the dishes or any other mindless chore and inspiration will come.
As a medical doctor, after reading this inane and pure rubbish article, I didn’t know if I should laugh out loud, or, close my door and laugh even harder…
Reversal of marital status by spouse to single helps you appreciate being alone – or specifically away from petty adversity – makes for happier state – don’t miss the negativity which has been magnified in understanding by the abandonment such as “how can you listen to that music (country)” to a guy who appreciates everything from Pavarotti to country to mostly rock n roll and lately Thunderstruck AC/DC – don’t miss the runaway spouse’s childish dependence such as “how long to nuke a hot dog?” or did you feed the cats (every freaking morning question) after she gets out of bed – me not a cat fan but always feed them early while princess still getting beauty sleep and negative thoughts recharging!
I like to be alone mostly because I find most people annoying and rude.
C’mon now, how can you so quickly dismiss the pure joys of being at a social gathering and nodding politely, grinning like a dufus or pretending to laugh through your nose while thinking (or muttering under your breath) the whole while, “J.C., how I wish this G.D. idiot would just S.T.F.U.!”
Other than speaking with clerks at the store, gas stations, banks, etc… and conversations with my doctors (non psychiatrist/psychologist) the weekly phone call with my oldest daughter and her kids I haven’t spoken with anyone in about six weeks. With that said I find this statement, “We have to understand why someone is withdrawing to understand the associated risks and benefits.” to be quite questionable. I am not withdrawing from anything, I am simply more comfortable and the only risks or benefits are those perceived within the mind of Julie Bowker, the study’s lead author, and those like her. The entire premise that people who are so called, “loners” have mental issues is preposterous. I harm nobody, including myself. My bills are paid on time or early, I am friendly, not angry and my neighbors and I interact when we see each other. I have simply found through empirical evidence that someone with a neurological inconvenience (spastic paraplegia) is better off not dealing with the so-called normal people in society who assume that individuals with physical impairments also have mental impairments and are less than they are.
Animals never lie to you.
The following comments from the above article jumped out at me:
…someone is withdrawing…
…costs associated with social withdrawal…
…you’re removing yourself too much from your peers…
…unsociable youth spend more time alone than with others…
Let’s reverse the perspective a little:
…someone is intruding…
…costs associated with social over-involvement…
…you’re involving yourself too much with your peers…
…hyper-social youth spend more time around others than in solitude…
It seems to me that the author of the cited article is using her level of “socialness” and “involvement” as the benchmark to determine that people who are being less social or involved (compared to her) are flawed.
I might suggest that she use a few antisocial or socially withdrawn people as the benchmark to evaluate the motivations, actions, and effects of the hyper-active, forced-social, extra-personal intrusions that a large majority of society and advertising and motivational speakers/writers use to keep ramping up a frenetic pace of life that is burning out too many people in their endless pursuits of the next socially – and economically – acceptable level of human interaction and approval.
“I am not anti-social,
I’m selectively social.
There’s a difference.”
It’s all just another Leftist attack on American Individualism.
TV is better. At least I know when I’m listening to offensive, Liberal or gay crap, it’s coming from a source I can readily shut off.
The government needs to ban marriage and make it illegal to congregate with someone of the opposite 26 sexes. It’s insensitive to those who are not married.
in an extrovert’s world, introverts learn pretty quickly to tune out the “YOU MUST BE SOCIALIZING, IF YOU AREN’T CONSTANTLY SOCIALIZING SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH YOU” drivel which seems to be the rule for most of the western world. also, it’s pretty hard to take a study seriously which conflates “asocial” with “antisocial.”