Research suggests some potential benefits to being a loner
I have the usual reasons for preferring solitude over socializing, but there&#x27;s also a sort of meta-reason that causes me to want to socialize even less:<p>When I am asked about what I&#x27;ve been up to, and I&#x27;m honest in that I spend a lot of my time in a balance between intellectual pursuits and mundane chores, I am treated as if I am crazy or deficient.  People who don&#x27;t require my level of solitude see it as a sign that I&#x27;m broken, and they never grasp that I prefer it because it helps me stay healthy and creative.<p>I recently took a two week vacation from work; I had been working non-stop for over a year and needed some time to not code or work on anything.  I drove out to Arches National Park, spent some time in nature, came back, and simply relaxed at home.  Read some books, played video games, etc.<p>According to everyone, I should have gone out to see the latest movies, taken a cruise, traveled to cities, experienced night life, seen family and friends, and filled all my days with &quot;activities&quot;.  My life is supposed to be exciting, by their standard of what exciting is.<p>It&#x27;s pretty insulting, especially because they don&#x27;t even attempt to see it my way.  I perfectly understand why others don&#x27;t want the kind of solitude that I desire, and I don&#x27;t deride them of it.  To be a genuine person only to be met with implications that I&#x27;m not living my life correctly makes me think &quot;Why am I bothering with this shit?&quot;  So I socialize even less.<p>To me, socializing for the sake of it is rarely worth the time.  It&#x27;s good practice for when you want to socialize with people who are worth your time, but the returns are pretty diminishing.  I don&#x27;t need to continually explain to people why I&#x27;m not filling every moment of my life with &quot;activities&quot; and why I care about my craft(coding).  People who value socializing often talk about being a good listener, but they rarely do this themselves.<p>If people were more open in their attitudes, I&#x27;d be more likely to want to socialize with them.