Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I like quite a bit of it. I went on a trip to Ocean City with a bunch of people this summer. We got there Friday afternoon and were hanging out the whole day. The next morning a few of us rented motor scooters for the day. By 2PM most of 'em had returned theirs since they wanted to start drinking. I shuddered at the thought of spending the next twelve hours just drinking with folks, so I spent a lot of the day just riding around on my scooter (mostly looking for an Internet cafe so I could try and find my lost phone). It was pretty sweet.
Hell, a few days ago I drove from DC to Bethany Beach, DE by myself to meet up with my family. It was nothing but me, the radio, the sound of the car and road for about four hours. It was great. In fact one of my favorite things to do is hop in the car and just drive by myself. That's the biggest reason I want a car of my own!
I still need social interaction, but I like having time to myself. I definitely need to 'recharge' after a crazy night with others.
I think we all need social interaction from time to time. Like the OP said we're social creatures & it's true. However some of us deal with being alone better then others maybe those of us who were raised as an only child. know better then most. I didn't have much of a childhood during my teenage years so I had no childhood friends that I grew up with. Even as a young adult I had very few friends same thing when I was married I had very friends then as well. I guess it depends what your used to I'm 44 & still have only a handful of friends. I'm used to being alone & in all honesty I don't like people or so I tell myself. We all need some alone time but I'll be the first to admit it gets old after a while. I guess one needs to find some sort of balance with it just like anything else.
I just view socialization almost like vitamins necessary to my health.
This idea jumped out to me as intriguing. I like the way you worded this.
I see alone-time as "necessary vitamins" that nourish me, but other people like my boyfriend see socializing as "nourishing."
I guess you're saying that although you PREFER alone time, you sort of hold your nose and swallow the social time as a necessary thing (like eating broccoli) because it's good for you. I think maybe us "loners" come in different breeds, because I prefer alone time, and get my "nourishment" from it. I feel like social time only depletes me, but it's necessary for the other people I have to interact with, but not necessary to my (mental) health.
I mostly travel alone and I have always been a loner so maybe there's something wrong with me...
...I am that way since birth probably..it's what you're used to plus part of your personality...There's nothing wrong with it, we can't all be the same...I like company but after an afternoon or so I need to get away..I can't stand everyone talking at the same time and I need personal space, even in a crowd. I also don't play "follow the leader" too well as far as ideas and how to live my life goes.
No, there's nothing wrong with you at all. I travel alone. Every trip I've taken to Europe, South America and Eastern Canada as an adult has been alone. First, not every one is interested in the locations that interest me. Second, some people don't have the time and/or money and/or frequent flyer points. Third, there are a lot of people with whom I would not travel well.
I've made shorter trips within the continental US or to Vancouver with friends, and those have worked out fine. I have also enjoyed these same trips when I've taken guests from Europe and they like how efficient and knowledgeable I am while carting them around these places.
What has begun to scare me is how easy it is for me to book travel overseas for myself and not think anything of it.
I need a LOT of personal space and time. If I come across people I click with, then I open up my personal space.
This idea jumped out to me as intriguing. I like the way you worded this.
I see alone-time as "necessary vitamins" that nourish me, but other people like my boyfriend see socializing as "nourishing."
I guess you're saying that although you PREFER alone time, you sort of hold your nose and swallow the social time as a necessary thing (like eating broccoli) because it's good for you. I think maybe us "loners" come in different breeds, because I prefer alone time, and get my "nourishment" from it. I feel like social time only depletes me, but it's necessary for the other people I have to interact with, but not necessary to my (mental) health.
Nope....Social time is both necessary vitamins to me, whether I want it or not, and something I usually enjoy. I love being around people, pretty much irrelative of who they are, pretty much regardless of what we're doing, until I get tired of them. I have fond memories of standing for three hours directing parking at a fair, because of a few conversations I had with other workers. The only thing I prefer about solitude is that I can usually focus better and it's less tiring. I hate being alone for extended time periods. Note that I stated I'd be fine in a cabin in the woods. I don't count that as being alone though, so long as there is plenty of wildlife. I also don't enjoy taking part in that type of conversation people do merely to fill space.
It's interesting to see the level of diversity of responses on this thread. What would be really nice, would be if people would recognize, as has been proven on this thread, that people are different. My utopia would be, and has been, sitting quietly, intoxicated in a noisy room filled with music and loud drunken people. I'm assuming that would be your hell
This idea jumped out to me as intriguing. I like the way you worded this.
I see alone-time as "necessary vitamins" that nourish me, but other people like my boyfriend see socializing as "nourishing."
I guess you're saying that although you PREFER alone time, you sort of hold your nose and swallow the social time as a necessary thing (like eating broccoli) because it's good for you. I think maybe us "loners" come in different breeds, because I prefer alone time, and get my "nourishment" from it. I feel like social time only depletes me, but it's necessary for the other people I have to interact with, but not necessary to my (mental) health.
Most of the time my need for social moments can be gotten at the store or shopping for assorted things at the lumber yard. Its nice there since they recognize me. It will be kinda sad when all the stuff I want to do for the house is finished and I don't many trips there.
I also love talking on the phone when its a friend who likes to. I'd rather not if the person hated phones. The best time is late when most people don't make calls but a few people I know are usually up. But I agree, the having to be with physical bodies time is stressful for me, even if I might enjoy some of it. I just want to leave. I actually spend little time with people but am perfectly happy about it since there are ways I'm comfortable with to 'be with' them socially but one step removed.
I have a permenant box in the living room which is the project box. It contains stuff I'm working on. It's always full since it depends what I'm in the mood for. But I find I always have *something* to do.
Alone time is pretty crucial for me. Being in groups for any amount of time is tough! It feels like always having to be "on" which is quite draining. Lots of one to one company is okay for me. (But only if it is with another person who is not a social creature.) Problem is meeting like types when you're non social seeking the same?
i'm tired of hearing: humans are social creatures. it's mostly outgoing people that think that crap. I would just as soon work an at home job and see no people then go to work and see them. not everyone gives a crap about interacting with precious people.
My God I'm so with you on this. You have no idea.
Edit: To the theory of being an only child: Nope. Not me. Sometimes I wished I was, though.
Last edited by Three Wolves In Snow; 09-03-2012 at 08:26 PM..
Oh, I agree. But if you're the kind of person who claims to not be social at all, to prefer to be alone 90% of the time...and then spend all that "alone" time online with virtual strangers, are you really alone? It seems like some sort of social contact to me.
I think I could go a good long while alone if I still had online contact in some form, but if I were alone in a cabin without the internet or a single soul around, I think I'd go crazy much faster.
Not really. In a very small way, perhaps but I don't know you, you don't know me, I'm not there in the same place as you, I don't hear your voice, and, no offense, you, (general), are just a bunch of words on a screen.
Yes I know it's people actually typing those words but because it is so NOT like being social that I don't always view it as "talking to people".
I don't have to give you my full attention, I can read a few words, go off and do something else, come back, read a few more words if I want, disregard altogether after reading a few words, whatever. I don't have to listen intently, I don't have to respond right away, heck, while typing this I watched ID channel until a commercial came on to continue typing this....
It's "sort of" socializing but not really. It's just reading some words and typing what I think about those words, when I want, how I want, (well, yes, there's TOS and all that but you know what I mean), where I want, and, as someone else mentioned, I'm not "coordinating" with you, I'm merely reading your words.
If I read a book, I'm not socializing. I'm reading the words...they were written by someone, a human, but I'm not socializing. If I write to the author, and they write back, I don't really view that as socializing in the way many mean socializing. It is, in a very small way, but it's not, really, as I stated in the beginning.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I travel alone. Every trip I've taken to Europe, South America and Eastern Canada as an adult has been alone. First, not every one is interested in the locations that interest me. Second, some people don't have the time and/or money and/or frequent flyer points. Third, there are a lot of people with whom I would not travel well. 
