New Books in Psychology Robert J. Coplan, "The Joy of Solitude: How to Reconnect with Yourself in an Overconnected World" (Simon and Schuster, 2025)
Mar 18, 2026
Robert J. Coplan, psychologist and author who studies solitude and social connection, shares why alone time can be restorative. He explains different kinds of solitude, how to avoid rumination, and why brief daily solitude boosts creativity and emotional balance. He also examines personality, cultural views, and when alone time becomes unhealthy.
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Flip The Script On Solitude From Punishment To Gift
- Reframe solitude as a gift or opportunity rather than punishment to improve the experience and reduce ruminative negative thinking.
- Remind yourself it's privacy for self-reflection, recharging, and doing chosen meaningful tasks, not a timeout.
Alone Time Lets The Mind Incubate Breakthroughs
- Solitude reduces incoming social input, letting the mind wander and activating brain modes that foster creativity and problem incubation.
- Coplan likens it to rolling up car windows to notice how much background pressure disappears, enabling 'aha' moments.
Solitude Fuels Wisdom And Better Social Interactions
- Wisdom arises from the combination of experience plus reflection, and solitude provides the reflection component.
- Good-quality alone time improves later social interactions, making them more positive and engaged.
