One Is The Loveliest Number!
Reader's Digest India|February 2017

Why it pays to spend time alone.

Megan Jones
One Is The Loveliest Number!

IN 2011, RESEARCHERS at Harvard University and the University of Virginia exposed study participants to a small, painful electric shock. They then handed over $5 and asked each person how much of the $5 they’d be willing to forfeit to avoid the unpleasant sensation. In the next step of the study, the participants sat, solo, in a room for 15 minutes. The only available stimulation was the option of shocking themselves by pushing a button.

Of those who had said they’d offer money to escape the zap, more than 60 per cent of the men and a quarter of the women voluntarily shocked themselves. Physical pain, it seemed, was preferable to spending a few minutes alone with their thoughts.

Solitude, clearly, isn’t our most comfortable state. But based on recent research, we’d be wise to overcome anxiety around being by ourselves. While nobody’s advocating becoming a hermit, there are benefits to spending at least some time alone.

We become better people

This story is from the February 2017 edition of Reader's Digest India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the February 2017 edition of Reader's Digest India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM READER'S DIGEST INDIAView All
ME & MY SHELF
Reader's Digest India

ME & MY SHELF

Human-rights lawyer, activist and teacher, Nandita Haksar is the author of 25 books. Her latest, Shooting the Sun: Why Manipur Was Engulfed by Violence and the Government Remained Silent, looks at the complex identity politics surrounding the ethnic clashes that broke out in Manipur in 2023.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
Elevator from the Subcontinent, by Gigi Scaria, 2011
Reader's Digest India

Elevator from the Subcontinent, by Gigi Scaria, 2011

Elevator cabin with three backlit projections, automatic door system with microcontroller, 9.3 minute video.

time-read
1 min  |
March 2024
RD RECOMMENDS
Reader's Digest India

RD RECOMMENDS

DUNE: PART 2 in theatres (1 March)

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2024
22 RIVERS across 22 STATES in 22 MONTHS
Reader's Digest India

22 RIVERS across 22 STATES in 22 MONTHS

A lone canoeist crosses America in search of what binds us together

time-read
9 mins  |
March 2024
ELOPEMENT SPRINGS ETERNAL
Reader's Digest India

ELOPEMENT SPRINGS ETERNAL

At the ripe age of 65, we decided to run away and get married

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE TUAREGS
Reader's Digest India

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE TUAREGS

A journey to the Tassili n'Ajjer plateau in Algeria reveals rock paintings dating back millennia

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2024
Awarding Excellence
Reader's Digest India

Awarding Excellence

A look back at the 2023 Trusted Brand Award presentation ceremony hosted by Reader's Digest India last month.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
The Great Unknown
Reader's Digest India

The Great Unknown

An unlikely friendship helped my son grapple with divorce, death and ...

time-read
7 mins  |
March 2024
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
Reader's Digest India

NIGHTMARE ALLEY

A couple, fleeing the shelling in Ukraine, are captured by Russian troops. It's up to their frantic son-living 2,400 km away-to get them free.

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 2024
BE FRIENDS WITH YOUR MONEY (AND MANAGE IT TOO!)
Reader's Digest India

BE FRIENDS WITH YOUR MONEY (AND MANAGE IT TOO!)

This successful Internet entrepreneur, content creator and bestselling author shares his tips for anyone trying to kickstart their investment journey

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024