Gretchen Rubin writes for Slate.com:
Happiness Myth No. 9: Spending some time alone will make you feel better.
Wrong. Although it can be tempting to take a “personal day” when you’re feeling blue or to isolate yourself until you feel better, you’re better off doing just the opposite.
Connecting with other people, even if you don’t feel like it, is more likely to improve your mood—and that’s true even for introverts. Any kind of engagement gives you a lift.
In fact, researchers reported that out of 15 daily activities, such as exercising, commuting, or doing housework, everything is more fun with company. They found only one activity during which people were happier alone rather than with other people—praying. To my mind, that’s no exception; the point of praying is that you’re not talking to yourself.
LUKE SAYS: Half of my weekends the past two months, I have not left my hovel. I am just so tired, I want to hole up with a good book, a good movie, and just recover. I feel overwhelmed by life. According to this blog post, this is a recipe for unhappiness. Since the beginning of January, my life has felt unbelievably full and social. I think I enjoy solitude more than most people because I feel a sense of connection through reading. But in retrospect, I think this Slate column is right. I’m not the happiest person around, but I am at my happiest when I am regularly spending time with people enjoy.
