In the last few years, direct research has supported the benefits of solitude. A large inflatable Santa Claus decorates the stall of a Christmas tree dealer near Frankfurt, Germany, on Dec. 12, 2025.Michael Probst/The Associated Press

Robert Coplan is a Chancellor’s Professor in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa. He is the author of the newly released book The Joy of Solitude: How to Reconnect with Yourself in an Overconnected World.

What do the classic early 2000s films Bridget Jones’s Diary, About a Boy and Love Actually have in common? Yes, they are all rom-coms co-starring Hugh Grant as a charming cad with varying degrees of redeeming qualities. However, they also all share the theme of people dealing with the social stigma of being alone at Christmas. Others might deem a person spending the holiday season in solitude as a poster person for loneliness, but I push back against this portrayal. Not only does it not hold up under scrutiny, I contend that solitude can actually offer many potential benefits – even at Christmas.

First, it is important to acknowledge that humans need social connection. Not satisfying this need can make us feel lonely. Simply put, loneliness is the bad feeling we get when there is a mismatch between our desired and actual social lives. There has been a lot of discussion over the last few years about the epidemic of loneliness and its

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