There is a fundamental difference between feeling alone and being alone. The former can cause great harm to a person, while the latter could be the key to their happiness. In fact, there is research from Hubbub Research, in collaboration with BBC Radio 4, about the quality and quantity of people's rest. With more than 18,000 participants in 134 countries, the results were conclusive: when it comes to resting and engaging in relaxing activities, better alone.
The phrase says "better alone than in bad company", and whoever thought of it first knew a thing or two about life. Of course, the concept of company itself is not to blame, but even when there are good intentions and positive people nearby, there are certain things that are better sought on your own.
The Study Behind the Claim
According to a study published by Hubbub Research and BBC Radio 4, one of those things is rest. Now, this doesn't necessarily mean "throwing yourself into bed and sleeping". The study spanned more than two years (it officially began in November 2015) and collected data from 18,000 participants in 134 different countries.
First, 68 percent of participants indicated they would like to be able to rest more. A third shared the feeling that they need more rest than average, while 10 percent said they need less. The average calculated for rest (whose parameters were defined by the participants themselves) on the day before the evaluation was three hours and six minutes.
Those who supposedly need more rest time recorded a lower well-being score in the evaluation, thus establishing that the "perception of rest" is as important as the net amount obtained. That said, which activities did people specifically link to their rest?
Activities People Associate with Rest
- 58 percent reported that reading is relaxing and helps them rest.
- Getting in touch with nature appears in second place, and women prefer this a little more than men.
- Being alone was the option most frequently chosen by women and participants under 30 years old.
The research team was surprised to find that the Top 10 activities chosen for rest are those that are usually practiced in solitude. Visiting friends and family or going out for drinks appear much lower in their measurements, therefore, being alone is not something that only introverts see as relaxing.
