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There are lots of hermets in US A. They sit in their abode, watch TV, and interact very little with people.
I guess I'm a "hermit." Fine. Must be some good in it. When out in stores, etc., I tend to be more outgoing and courteous to those around me then the "social butterflies" all wrapped up in their little social circle, blocking doorways, bumping into people like they're not there.
I'll admit though - I hate small talk. I'm not a salesman; I don't need that skill, rarely participated in it.
Preferring absolutely no socialization or companionship ever is an indication of someone who is likely not neurotypically developing.
It's not necessarily a preference - especially for older people. It's a situation that easily develops in the U.S. (and also countries such as Great Britain which has an anti-isolation program going on to help older people out of isolation) when older people lose easy mobility, no longer have the balance or strength to take public transit including buses, are retired, no longer have people in their lives, no longer have daily contact with people in a workplace at their jobs because of being retired.
I tend to limit who I allow access into my real life and home. I work at home. I have a partner, travel and have a lot of casual friends here and there throughout the country. But there is a hard and fast rule that our home is a sanctuary and if someone tends to spew, attack, badger, insult etc. they are never allowed to set foot in our home. This includes family.
Just look at how people behave on some threads on this forum, and that explains why being social for the sake of being social doesn't appeal to some. It means putting up with nastiness, arrogance, viciousness and selfishness. It means behaving in ways that don't bring out the best in ourselves in response... rolling around in the mud like a bunch of nasty animals. Even if some of the nastier people who post online put a lid on it in real life, how they behave online is a part of who they are. It's something to consider when questioning why some people don't want to socialize a lot.
Looked up hermit in dict., person living in seclusion for mostly religious reasons...so recluse might be better word....but how long alone makes a recluse? I consider myself that, but I don't dislike people...just have very little need for social interaction and stimulation. Had a career fully interacting with others daily, but home more now that I'm retired.
I][quote=ylisa7;50566539]True but for how long? How long would it make someone a hermit do you think?
Do you think that being a Hermit is abnormal? The reason I ask is because whenever I see documentaries on Prison life, it's often stated that the most cruel of punishments is to put an inmate into solitary confinement for a protracted time. In fact, some solitary inmates have been known to have their minds snap from the protracted isolation.
As a correlation to that, it has been shown statistically that lonely people have a shorter life span. That's why I was wondering about people who become Hermits, those who avoid socialization totally. Do you consider them abnormal? Also, have any of you ever considered undertaking such a lifestyle yourself? And why?
A friend of mine left home when he was 10 years old because his father stabbed him with a fork. He secretly lived with an aunt until he was old enough to join the military. That didn't work out and he ended up living on the streets and eventually wound up in British Columbia. He said he lived up there in the wilds for about 6 months and only saw a couple other people during that time. It cleaned out his head. He decided to take a high school equivalency test there, applied to a small college in Va and got in. Graduated, entered a Ph. D. program in soil science at U. IL Urbana, got up to his oral and decided to switch over to bio-tech patent law and ended up getting a J.D. degree. He recently retired as a very successful biotech patent attorney based in D.C.
So, is it normal? Perhaps not. Is it a bad thing? Not necessarily; for him, it was just what he needed.
For myself, I am not a sociable person. I dislike crowds and especially cities and I prefer a nice quiet day at home to pretty much anything else. Activities I enjoy are similarly those done alone, photography, marksmanship. Right now for example, my wife is out shopping with a friend. I'm browsing the web with a kitty at home. Nice and quiet. The fellow I mentioned is my only "friend" but I haven't seen him in over a decade and we seldom communicate.
Abnormal simply means outside the norm. The norm is for people to socialize once in a while, so yes by definition it is abnormal.
I'm a loner by nature, I prefer small groups or ideally one to one interactions, and I was thrilled to pieces that my boyfriend didn't want to go out on NYE but just stay home and watch TV and cuddle...but I think that is different than cutting yourself off totally from people all the time.
Remember Castaway? He was so lost without someone to tell his thoughts to he created Wilson.
Looked up hermit in dict., person living in seclusion for mostly religious reasons...so recluse might be better word...
You can use hermit and recluse synonymously IMO.
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