Why Alone Time Carries a Stigma (Even If It Feels Great)

There’s a strange paradox in the way people think about “alone time.” When Thuy-vy T. Nguyen, a social psychologist at the University of Durham in the U.K, asks research participants to think back on a time they were by themselves and liked it, it’s easy for them to do. But when people hear of a friend’s plans — particularly to do something fun — and ask whether that person is going alone, there’s often an implication that being by yourself is the last resort, Nguyen points out.