These behaviors point to someone who enjoys solitude.
Some people thrive in the company of other humans, while others do best when they’re alone. If you can relate to the following behaviors, you’re undoubtedly the type of person who thrives on solitude.
1. They have extensive book or media collections.
You love to read, watch movies, play games, or immerse in graphic novels, and you have cultivated extensive collections of your favorite media. Whether you’ve revisited these favorites dozens of times or simply add to your libraries constantly, these modes of entertainment are precious to you, and well taken care of.
2. They are passionate about various forms of research.
When a topic piques your curiosity, you throw yourself into researching it in several different ways. You may have had to replace your library card several times because it wore away from so much use, and you fall down online rabbit holes delving into topics for hours at a time.
3. They have a wide variety of interests and hobbies.
Instead of having one or two basic hobbies, you have a wide range of niche interests that you divide your time among as desired. You might spend months painting before going back to throwing pottery, then take up fencing or archery for a while before doing some online university archaeology courses.
4. They find comfort in silence and their own company.
While some people constantly need to hang out with friends or have the TV playing, you’re wholly comfortable in silence. Your own company is golden, and you neither need nor want the distraction of other people’s voices yammering at you when you’re trying to concentrate, or simply want complete peace and quiet.
5. They don’t experience boredom.
It’s possible that you’ve never experienced boredom in your life because you’re always finding new things to interest and engage you. Unless you’ve read every book printed to date, watched every film, and tried every hobby or pastime, it’s very difficult to be bored: you constantly find new things to explore.
6. They find reasons and excuses to avoid social functions.
People who thrive on solitude try to avoid social functions whenever possible. They’ll try to get out of attending a function if they can, and if pressured, they either won’t show up, or will leave early without saying “goodbye” because they know folks will try to hamstring them into staying longer.
7. They likely have at least one animal companion.
Although a person may like solitude, their preference is to be away from other humans. They may love animal companionship instead, and will likely have at least one sweet pet whom they love to spend time with and don’t consider to be a drain on their energy at all.
8. They tend not to be interested in current affairs and trends.
Most people who love to spend time alone have very little interest in whatever spectacle is currently unfolding. They don’t care about current trends, celebrity antics, or banal mass media being hyped. Instead, they focus on the things and subjects they care about, and pay no attention to anything beyond them.
9. They love to sleep.
People who love solitude don’t subscribe to celebrity gurus who go to bed at 2 a.m. and get up at 5 for raw smoothies and ice baths. They prefer to rest whenever possible and have cozy nooks with soft blankets to cushty up into.
10. They don’t get lonely.
Much like boredom, loneliness isn’t something that solitude-lovers encounter very often. Since they don’t thrive in other people’s company, they very rarely (if ever) have the desire to seek it out. If they do feel like spending time with someone, it’s because they miss that person, not social interaction in general.
11. They prefer noble, beautiful things over crude, crass ones.
A person who spends most of their time alone will generally prefer beautiful, soul-inspiring things rather than that which is vulgar and crude. They’ll choose colors, textures, items, and sounds that elevate and inspire them, and won’t waste their time on things that they find offensive or otherwise off-putting.
12. They don’t speak much.
One of the reasons why some people enjoy solitude so dearly is because there’s no pressure to speak when they don’t want to. Even when interacting with others, they listen more than they talk. When alone, there’s neither pressure nor expectation to speak if they don’t want to (which is their standard setting).