Framing time alone as “me-time” rather than “isolation” enhances emotional well-being, increases positive affect, and improves beliefs about solitude, according to a new study published in Cognition & Emotion.
Spending time alone is a common experience that can be beneficial or detrimental to well-being, depending on how it is perceived. While solitude can provide opportunities for relaxation and self-reflection, it may also lead to feelings of loneliness and discomfort.
How individuals frame their experiences plays a crucial role in shaping emotions, decision-making, and social interactions. For instance, linguistic choices have been found to influence perception and emotional responses in various contexts, from stress management to consumer behavior. However, little research has examined whether language can shape how people experience time alone.
Micaela Rodriguez and Scott W. Campbell examined how different terms used to describe time alone—such as “me-time” and “isolation”—affect individuals’ perceptions, emotions, and behaviors during solitary experiences.
In Study 1, 500 U.S. adults were randomly assigned to evaluate one of five labels describing time alone: me-time, time alone, solitude, being alone, or isolation. They rated their assigned term on several dimensions, including how positive or negative it felt, its perceived impact on well-being, and whether they actively sought or avoided that type of solitude. Additionally, participants provided open-ended descriptions of their experiences and associations with their assigned term.
In Study 2, 176 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to a 30-minute solitude period framed as either me-time or isolation. Several days before the session, they completed a survey measuring baseline beliefs about solitude, loneliness, self-esteem, and social support. During the session, they remained in a self-selected location, avoiding all social interactions, including digital communication, but could engage in non-social activities like reading or writing. Afterward, they rated their emotions, described their thoughts and behaviors, and reassessed their beliefs about being alone. Thirty-one participants were excluded for noncompliance, leaving 145 in the final analysis.
Study 1 revealed significant differences in how people evaluated different labels for time alone. “Me-time” was consistently rated as the most positive and desirable, with participants perceiving it as beneficial for well-being and something they actively sought out. In contrast, “isolation” was perceived as the least desirable, although it was not viewed as inherently negative. The other labels—time alone, solitude, and being alone—fell somewhere in between, with “solitude” being generally seen as neutral to positive, while “being alone” was slightly less appealing. The qualitative responses further reinforced these findings, with participants associating “me-time” with self-care, relaxation, and enjoyment, whereas “isolation” carried connotations of social exclusion and loneliness.
In Study 2, the linguistic framing of solitude had a measurable impact on participants’ emotional experiences. Those who spent 30 minutes alone after being told they were having “me-time” reported an increase in positive affect, while those who were told they were in “isolation” experienced a decline in positive emotions. Both groups showed a reduction in negative affect after the solitude period, but the decrease was significantly larger in the “me-time” condition. Additionally, participants in the “me-time” condition reported more positive beliefs about being alone after the session compared to their baseline beliefs, while those in the “isolation” condition showed no significant change.
Interestingly, linguistic framing did not significantly influence the activities participants engaged in during their alone time. However, it did appear to shape thought content, with those in the “isolation” condition being more likely to think about schoolwork, while those in the “me-time” condition were more likely to reflect on personal growth.
One limitation is that the sample consisted primarily of U.S. adults and undergraduate students, limiting the generalizability of the findings across diverse populations.
These findings highlight the power of language in shaping psychological experiences and offer a simple, practical intervention for improving solitary experiences.
The research, “From ‘isolation’ to ‘me-time’: Linguistic shifts enhance solitary experiences,” was authored by Micaela Rodriguez and Scott W. Campbell.