According to Aristotle, if you enjoy being alone you could either be a wild beast, or a god.

I think the ancient philosopher is on to something. What about you?

Whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild beast or a god. - Aristotle

People make (some) people happy

Research psychologists have found that people who socialize more tend to be happier. This makes complete sense – relationships, friendships, connections and spending time with people we actually like add a joy to life that is difficult to replicate, even for the introverts amongst us.

Except, when it doesn’t. And perhaps, this was Aristotle’s point.

For one group of people, socializing with friends doesn’t increase the level of satisfaction and joy in your life at all. In fact, it can have the exact opposite effect.

Who are these people? Are they beasts, or gods?

Well, according to researchers they could be either. Whatever end of the beast/god spectrum these people sat, the common denominator was that they were all highly intelligent.

As they followed people between 18 and 28 years, researchers found that the more most people socialized, the happier they were. But not the people who were highly intelligent: the more these clever people socialized, the less happiness they experienced.

These findings kind of explain the bookish-academic and lone-wolf super-villain stereotypes – but it goes further than that.

In fact, there’s something all of us can learn.

With more of us working from home than ever, it’s become vital to recognise and capitalize on the power of solitude. In fact, when you have work to do, a task to complete or a passion to follow the ability to focus and exist in solitude is an advantage – whether you’re especially bright or not.

Successful solitude

The title of this piece comes from the Bible account of creation  – when God first created man, Adam, before creating his companion, Eve saying, ‘It is not good for man to be alone.’ (You can read the full account in the book of Genesis)

I don’t think it was God’s intention to suggest that we should never be alone, or that solitude is innately problematic.

Successful solitude is about creating a state of mind, or a space, in which we can focus our thoughts without distraction, and let the mind work through a problems on its own.

The sheer volume of communication, and 24/7 access to information and other people that defines modern life has made this more difficult than ever. In our hyper-distracted world being alone might just be what we all need.

When we are alone we allow ourselves to focus on what really matters, and in doing so discover the purpose and joy that life was designed for. Jedi Master Qui-Gonn Jinn got it right when he instructs young Anakin Skywalker, ‘Always remember: Your focus determines your destiny.’

5 Tips for staying focused

Mike Erwin, president of The Positivity Project and author of Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude provides some practical suggestions to stay focused and create powerful solitude in your life.

1. Build solitude into your schedule – Treat alone time as you would any meeting or appointment. If you don’t something else will fill the gaps. 15 minute pockets of solitude will leave mental space for your mind to do that hard thinking that is essential to good decision making.
2. Analyze where your time is best spent – Not everything that comes onto your schedule is vital. Prioritize time to reflect, avoid activities that under-utilized your energy and be rigorous about your priorities.
3. Starve your distractions – With the weight of the internet hanging over our heads its easy to fall into the dark hole that is ‘just one more click’. Acknowledge the way the internet lures you in and proactively log out of social media accounts and block certain websites during work hours or other time you have chosen to embrace solitude.
4. Learn how to be less busy – We fill our schedules with commitments, often prioritizing urgent tasks over important ones. Don’t let the pace of life get in the way of good opportunities to improve it through reading, listening and learning from others.
5. Create a ‘stop doing’ list – Time is limited, but your to-do list often seems never ending. Solitude gives you the space to reflect on where your time is best spent. Ask yourself, ‘What do I need to stop doing or say no to?’

Learn more about these tips at - https://hbr.org/2017/10/in-a-distracted-world-solitude-is-a-competitive-advantage