The Benefits of Social Isolation

“There are days when solitude is heady wine that intoxicates you, others when it is a bitter tonic, and still others when it is a poison that makes you beat your head against the wall.” — Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette

Imagine that you have to spend a long time in solitude. For many people, this is an utterly frightening idea. Looking at human societies, we can see that we are social creatures. The majority of people live in cities, spend time in groups—often outside—and deal with each other on a daily basis.

But we all could face a situation at some point in which we’re condemned to ourselves. Reasons could be illness, the absence of social connections, living in a remote place, being imprisoned, or a global crisis in which governments prohibit us from leaving the house. We could be isolated alone, or perhaps as a group. And for someone who’s naturally outgoing, the prospect of having to spend a large amount of time in solitude can be frightening.

Moreover, Dutch psychologist Paul Kop states that the effects of long-term isolation at home, especially when we’re forced to, can be severe and even traumatic. That's why it is very important to keep in touch with people, in one way or another, and leave the house when there is a possibility. But when we have no choice but to be isolated, we might benefit from looking at the positive side of this.

With anything that takes place outside us, it’s not the event itself that decides our mood, but the position we take towards it. I’m not saying that we should deliberately live in isolation all the time, but it is possible to use certain periods of isolation not only for personal growth but, surprisingly, for better social connections as well.

This video explores seven benefits of social isolation.

(1) Opportunity for reflection

The first benefit is that being alone is an opportunity to think deeply about life, our social connections, or our jobs. We’re basically taking a break from public life, which is often busy and doesn’t leave much room for us to reflect. When we’re temporarily disconnected from the outside world, we can gain new insights.

We’re more influenced by the herd than we think, and some time away from them can be very beneficial when it comes to discovering our authentic self and paving the way for self-realization and to, how Nietzsche put it, become who we are. As Psy.D. Sherrie Bourg Carter wrote in an article on Psychology Today: “When you’re part of a group, you’re more likely to go along with what the group is doing or thinking, which aren’t always the actions you would take or the decisions you would make if you were on your own.” End quote.

In solitude, we can reflect on our past choices and actions, and look at our life from a different angle. Creating a journal is a way to keep track of the thoughts that come to the surface when the dust of our hectic and complex lives starts to settle.

(2) A chance for grounding

Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung argued that our living environment is an extension of ourselves. This means that a messy environment has a negative influence on our mental state, and vice versa. When we spend the majority of our lives outside—working, socializing, studying, et cetera—chances are that there’s a disconnect between ourselves and our homes.

Moreover, an unpleasant living environment could make us want to escape it all the time, simply because we feel miserable when we are at home, and we’d rather spend time at work or at the bar. But spending time at home, whether it’s deliberate or not, is a way to examine our living situation and take the necessary measures to turn it into a pleasant, comfortable place that we actually love spending time in, so we feel grounded when we’re at home.

Creating a comfort zone—even if it’s just a small room—that evokes a sense of inner peace can make us productive and creative as well. It simply helps us thrive.

(3) Life planning

Now, when we feel nice and grounded in our solitude at home and have spent evening after evening in deep self-reflection, it may be time to get a pen and paper (or a laptop) to write down some goals for the future. The problem that many people have is that they run through life like headless chickens, making important decisions on the fly, often heavily influenced by their environment and without proper reflection and consideration.

But when we’re alone, we’re able to take a step back and think deeply about how we want to continue living. Lao Tzu observed that the path will be clear when we’re in a state of stillness. I quote: “Who can be still until their mud settles and the water is cleared by itself? Can you remain tranquil until right action occurs by itself?” End quote.

Now, Lao Tzu pointed to the mechanism of non-doing, which is the principle of letting nature run its course without intervention. This doesn’t mean that we should let our lives plan themselves. But when we become still, the greatest ideas come to the surface—including things that we might have suppressed—which we can take into account when forging our future plans.

(4) Creativity in socializing

It is now possible to find new ways of socializing that could substitute classic forms of communication. Yes, we miss certain aspects of face-to-face communication like touch and physical presence, but with a webcam and microphone, we can establish at least a connection through sound and image.

By thinking creatively, we can find substitutes for almost all forms of social interaction. Team sports on the field, for example, can be replaced by online gaming. One-on-one conversations can be replaced by video calls, and so can hanging out with friends and family. If you’re isolated in a group because of a crisis, there are also ways to have a good time together.

Instead of focusing on the dreadfulness of isolation, you can play games or do some creative activities. Distraction is key here. Also, social isolation is an opportunity to contact people we'd usually do not communicate with. These could be neighbors, older people, or maybe friends we have lost touch with.

(5) A chance to shed light on the darkness

‘Shedding light on the darkness’ may sound a bit vague, but solitude is an opportunity to illuminate the parts of ourselves that we’ve pushed away for a long time. Many people have hobbies and interests that they just don’t have time for because of their jobs, their social lives, or anything else that diverts them from themselves.

Oftentimes, these are artistic sides of us that our environment may see as useless. Or interests that serve no practical purpose in our daily lives, but are fascinating and enjoyable nonetheless, like space travel. Thus, we might have pushed these aspects of ourselves into the unconscious or, what Carl Jung called, the Shadow.

In social isolation, we can shed light on these long-forgotten passions and reignite their flames. We can get in touch with sides of ourselves that we had forgotten or even suppressed, so we can integrate them into our daily lives. This brings us to the next benefit, which is:

(6) Increased creativity

According to a study by Christopher Long and James Averill, the cliché that solitude can lead us to be more creative is true. Moreover, the inability to be alone is often the reason that people fail to develop their creative talents because, and I quote: “such development usually relies on solitary activities, such as practicing one’s musical instrument or writing poetry in one’s journal.” End quote.

Therefore, social isolation can be an opportunity to work on creative projects that we previously didn’t get to. The greatest things are achieved in solitude. Just take a look at Nikola Tesla, who spent years working alone. The results changed humanity forever.

Also, if you happen to have the ambition to become an entrepreneur, then this is the moment to sit down and make use of the time in which you’re not disturbed by the world outside.

(7) A chance to detach

Being part of society means that we are entangled with the outside world. Especially today’s consumerist society has ingrained in us the work hard play hard mentality and that all good stuff is found outside us. It’s no surprise that people feel restless in solitude because it means that they are cut off from the things that make life worthwhile.

This is tragic. Because happiness is not found outside of us. It’s found within. Chasing externals is like climbing down a bottomless pit, hoping that you’ll someday find a bucket with gold when you reach the ground, which, despite all promises, will never happen.

Social isolation, therefore, is an opportunity to detach ourselves from the religion of money and consumption and create a sense of contentment with what we have and who we are. Because when all basic needs are met, what more do we need?

Now, that’s it. Thank you for watching.