The above
refers to a Feb 28/2018 “Best of BBC Future” post by Christine Ro.
After acknowledging that there has been a lot of research into the negative psychological effects of ‘social isolation’ (for example, the Royal College of General Practicioners in the UK say that research has found loneliness to have a risk level for premature death equal to diabetes), she reports:
For those of us who just prefer plenty of alone time, emerging research suggests some good news: There are upsides to being reclusive – for both our work lives and our emotional well-being.
In a nut-shell, she says these benefits are:
- Improved creativity
- Stronger inner focus
- Loners are more likely to experience more ‘mental rest’ which can have the benefit of restoring a stressed/weary personality. “Being alone can activate a part of the brain that, paradoxically, strengthens the ability to have social bonds”.
- “Introverts tend to have fewer but stronger friendships – which has been linked to greater happiness”.
As someone who has been a shy loner all his life, I can vouch for all of that. If you’re interested in this line of thinking, here is the full BBC post:
Alan Conrad 