If you’re like most Americans, you probably need a little me-time from time to time. In fact, a recent survey found that 56% of people think that time alone is vital to their mental health.
But according to a new study, not all solitude is created equal when it comes to improving well-being. While some forms of alone time can be restorative and even improve feelings of social connectedness, intense alone time like a solo hike in the woods can make you feel more isolated and less rejuvenated, researchers reported in the journal. PLOS One in December.
This new research “suggests that the relationship between loneliness and well-being is more complex than previously theorized,” Sophia Spencer, MScsaid the London-based social psychologist and psychotherapist Health.
Morgan Ross, Ph.Dlead author of the study and assistant professor in the School of Communication at Oregon State University, wanted to explore how people experience loneliness in today’s hyper-connected world.
“We are able to communicate and reach others so easily,” Ross explained Health. “In the past, loneliness was seen as physical loneliness, but now we have to distinguish between physical and social loneliness.
Ross and his colleagues surveyed about 900 participants. Their average age was 62, and about two-thirds were women.
The researchers asked about their experiences with four “shades of loneliness” categorized by access to others and media:
- Basic solitude: alone, but with access to media, such as a phone, book or music.
- Basic Solitude + Inaccessibility: Alone and unavailable to others, but still with access to media, such as walking in the woods while listening to a podcast.
- Basic solitude + no media: alone and available to others, such as sitting in a coffee shop or on public transport, but without interacting with any media.
- Complete Solitude: No access to media or others – imagine hiking in the woods or camping without cell service.
Surprisingly, complete solitude was not as restorative as the researchers first assumed. Instead, participants rated basic solitude as “the most restorative and the least connected to others,” Ross said.
These findings suggest that accessing familiar media while alone—whether accessible or unavailable to others—can provide comfort and reduce feelings of isolation.
“It’s definitely one of the first studies I’ve seen that says it’s better to be connected when you’re alone than not at all,” Spencer said. “What I see with my clients is that most people feel completely overwhelmed by the level of social interaction we have today, both in person and on social media. So I assumed that their finding would be that people want to be in complete solitude.
Most importantly, the researchers found that a positive attitude toward loneliness—whether basic or total—played a significant role in how restoratively they saw it. “People who think solitude is better for them experience more well-being the more they engage in it,” Ross said.
Notably, the amount of social interactions participants had during the day did not change their experience of loneliness; even people with highly social jobs did not find solitude more restorative than others.
Like any research, the study has its limitations. The findings relied on self-reported surveys, which captured participants’ perceptions of loneliness rather than objective outcomes. In addition, the average age of the participants was on the older side.
“There’s a huge difference in the way someone at 61 uses phones and technology compared to a 20-year-old today,” Spencer said. “We don’t know if these results could be replicated in a group of younger adults, who might enjoy the opportunity to be completely alone.”
Despite the results of the study, the ideal type of solo activity varies from person to person. “I think there’s kind of a choose-your-own adventure aspect to solitude, where you find different species that work best for you,” Ross said. The most important thing, he added, is to have a positive attitude about your time alone in order to maximize its restorative benefits.
Spencer agreed, noting that figuring out what works can involve trial and error. “Consider your different needs — for example, whether you’re an introvert, extrovert, neurodivergent — and your diverse life situation,” Spencer said.
Dia Parsons, behavioral health specialist at Alegria Collaborative, emphasized the importance of self-awareness during this process. She suggested asking yourself a simple question to help: Does this activity or behavior fill me up or not? Without awareness, she warned, solitude could stop being restorative and start to become harmful.