4 ms·

I can relate to the argument that loneliness, because of less social control, leads to unhealthy habits. However, for introverts I don't think it's true that l

I can relate to the argument that loneliness, because of less social control, leads to unhealthy habits. However, for introverts I don't think it's true that loneliness leads to reduced health because of negative feelings. For me at least it's more 'toxic' to have to spend large amounts of time with people than to be alone.

emerongi 9y ago
As an introvert, I don't really feel lonely when I'm alone. I'm actually more likely to feel lonely at a big social gathering. Small social groups are refreshing, but too much time with others will start burdening me. I only start feeling lonely after a significant amount of time of being alone. This could be weeks or months. Yes, I've spent a lot of time alone and have "rejected" many of my social circles after starting to feel burdened. I now have only a few friends that I talk to and I'm very happy like this. As a sidenote, I felt very lonely as a kid. I think I've just adapted.
- distances 9y ago
  I think this is the point; being alone doesn't equal loneliness. An introvert can be lonely too, for sure. But it's important to differentiate between the two.
hasenj 9y ago
I think for introverts, loneliness comes from the fact that you don't get to spend quality time with close friends, instead you're either all by yourself or surrounded by people you don't care about.
- nils-m-holm 9y ago
  > or surrounded by people you don't care about. Or surrounded by people who do not care about you. There have been a lot of people in my life about whom I cared a lot, but most of them did not care (equally) much about me. I have always given them time to develop some kind of closeness, but more than often it does not happen, so in the end I tend to abandon this kind of relationship. It's too painful. :(
  - tunap 9y ago
    I find many are willing to invest sparingly in a facade to retain 'usefulness' for whatever net they gain, while concurrently mocking & deriding my shortcomings... I am socially awkward. This type if disingenuousness feels wrong to me, and as a result, I fail miserably in the 'networking' aspect of life.
throwanem 9y ago
There's a difference between loneliness and solitude. We introverts tend to value the latter more highly than extroverts do. The former still harms us all.

emerongi 9y ago

As an introvert, I don't really feel lonely when I'm alone. I'm actually more likely to feel lonely at a big social gathering. Small social groups are refreshing, but too much time with others will start burdening me. I only start feeling lonely after a significant amount of time of being alone. This could be weeks or months. Yes, I've spent a lot of time alone and have "rejected" many of my social circles after starting to feel burdened. I now have only a few friends that I talk to and I'm very happy like this. As a sidenote, I felt very lonely as a kid. I think I've just adapted.

distances 9y ago
I think this is the point; being alone doesn't equal loneliness. An introvert can be lonely too, for sure. But it's important to differentiate between the two.

hasenj 9y ago

I think for introverts, loneliness comes from the fact that you don't get to spend quality time with close friends, instead you're either all by yourself or surrounded by people you don't care about.

nils-m-holm 9y ago
> or surrounded by people you don't care about. Or surrounded by people who do not care about you. There have been a lot of people in my life about whom I cared a lot, but most of them did not care (equally) much about me. I have always given them time to develop some kind of closeness, but more than often it does not happen, so in the end I tend to abandon this kind of relationship. It's too painful. :(
- tunap 9y ago
  I find many are willing to invest sparingly in a facade to retain 'usefulness' for whatever net they gain, while concurrently mocking & deriding my shortcomings... I am socially awkward. This type if disingenuousness feels wrong to me, and as a result, I fail miserably in the 'networking' aspect of life.

throwanem 9y ago

There's a difference between loneliness and solitude. We introverts tend to value the latter more highly than extroverts do. The former still harms us all.