The Psychological Characteristics of People Who Enjoy Being Alone

Do you consider yourself a person who enjoys being alone? Do you know someone with a very small social circle? There are some interesting characteristics that tend to prevail in this type of person.
The Psychological Characteristics of People Who Enjoy Being Alone

Last update: 22 November, 2021

Although human beings are social animals, it’s extremely common to find people who love their solitude and enjoy being alone.

Feeling comfortable in solitude isn’t synonymous with misanthropy or selfishness. As a matter of fact, it’s quite common that those who find pleasure in being alone also highly value good company and are kind and respectful human beings.

In this article, you can learn about the main psychological characteristics of people who enjoy being alone. Perhaps you’ll even identify with some of them. On the other hand, maybe they’ll help you value and understand that friend who doesn’t seem to be so sociable.

Characteristics of people who enjoy being alone

Some people may feel inhibited when doing activities on their own. That’s because they think they’ll be judged or that they’ll appear to be vulnerable or sad. However, people who really enjoy being alone aren’t afraid of these stereotypes and love spending time with themselves, their interests, and their passions.

Here are some characteristics of this type of person:

Boy from back with a blanket

Better alone than in bad company…

To begin with, for these people they’re their own best friends. Furthermore, they tend to be rather selective about their relationships and are more reserved in social interactions. This also makes them loyal friends and companions. That’s because they enjoy being with those who’ve earned their trust as much as being alone.

However, they may find it difficult to be spontaneous at times, especially when meeting new people. Nevertheless, once they begin to feel comfortable, they can be good conversationalists. This is usually because people who enjoy being alone often spend a good part of their time cultivating different interests and hobbies.

Additionally, in most cases, people who enjoy being alone aren’t afraid of being single. Of course, they can enjoy being in a relationship, but for them, it’s important to have their own space.

Likewise, since they don’t usually do things just to please others, respect, independence, and sincerity are extremely important in their relationships.

They understand that being alone is different from feeling alone

In general, these people don’t usually experience feelings of loneliness. Indeed, they understand the difference between being alone and feeling alone. In other words, they know that having many friends or being surrounded by many people doesn’t guarantee that they’ll have someone to listen and support them when they really need it.

On the other hand, people who enjoy spending time with themselves aren’t overly sensitive to rejection, and their feelings aren’t easily hurt. They understand the complexity that living with other human beings entails. For this reason, they recognize that other people have bad times or that they don’t always have to be liked by everyone.

Woman thinking at the window

They know themselves well

Finally, those who enjoy being alone often really know themselves. This trait makes them extremely reflective and they have a clear awareness of their actions and the consequences that may arise from them. Also, having fewer dependencies, they tend to be more assertive.

Added to this, they tend to be productive and self-demanding. They can favorably manage their self-confidence to face challenges and find a great source of motivation in the fact of undertaking new learning or projects. This also allows them to possess effective coping strategies in the face of difficulties. That’s because they know their emotions and their insecurities and they can recognize and objectively weigh up their abilities.

They also tend to be orderly people who manage their time well. In addition, they’re usually disciplined, organized, and conscientious in everything they do. In the same way, they’re usually conscious of others’ time and they try to be punctual, as well as not changing plans too much.

Finally, people who enjoy being alone are usually more empathetic, have a great capacity to listen carefully, avoid making value judgments, and can easily connect with the emotions of other people. These traits make them open-minded people, respectful of different points of view, and capable of reconciling and recognizing their own desires and tastes.


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.


  • Dahlberg, K. (2007) The enigmatic phenomenon of loneliness, International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 2:4, 195-207, DOI: 10.1080/17482620701626117
  • Zysberg, L. (2012) Loneliness and Emotional Intelligence, The Journal of Psychology, 146:1-2, 37-46, DOI: 10.1080/00223980.2011.574746

This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.