Solitude is, simply enough, “the state or condition of being alone,” explains Thuy-vy Nguyen, a researcher at Durham University, U.K., who studies solitude. Time alone might be voluntary or involuntary; it might be pleasant or unpleasant. It all depends on the context.
So, solitude is not necessarily bad, but is it beneficial? Nguyen is the principal investigator of Solitude Lab, where she and her team work to unravel these kinds of mysteries. They’ve found that solitude offers at least two important benefits.
It can provide “emotional regulation,” helping tamp down high-arousal emotions. It can also serve another, less immediate and perhaps even more important function: “It can foster a sense of autonomy by allowing individuals to engage with their environment in a manner and at a pace that suits them best,” says Nguyen.
And that last part is essential to beneficial solitude: It must be a matter of choice. In ...
