says<\/a>\u00a0Julie Bowker, lead author of the study. \u201cWe have to understand why someone is withdrawing to understand the associated risks and benefits.\u201d<\/p>\nBowker\u2019s study results are reminiscent of realities that surface in literature, from Thoreau\u2019s retreat to Walden to Thomas Merton\u2019s work as a cloistered monk, but for all the conversation and examples about the benefits of withdrawing into nature or reconnecting to the self, the pursuit has remained, until now, something that hasn\u2019t been well investigated in the psychological literature, according to Bowker.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people think about the costs associated with social withdrawal, often times they adopt a developmental perspective,\u201d she says. \u201cDuring childhood and adolescence, the idea is that if you\u2019re removing yourself too much from your peers, then you\u2019re missing out on positive interactions like receiving social support, developing social skills and other benefits of interacting with your peers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis may be why there has been such an emphasis on the negative effects of avoiding and withdrawing from peers.\u201d<\/p>\n
But, in recent years, Bowker says there is growing recognition for the different reasons why youth withdraw from and avoid peers, and that the risk associated with withdrawal depends on the underlying reason or motivation. Her study in particular is the first study of social withdrawal to include a positive outcome<\/p>\n
While there are some people who withdraw out of fear or anxiety, there are also some people who withdraw due to non-fearful preferences for solitude. These individuals enjoy spending time alone, reading or working on their computers. They are unsociable. Unlike shyness and avoidance, research consistently shows that unsociability is unrelated to negative outcomes. But, Bowker\u2019s study is the first to link it to a positive outcome: creativity.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough unsociable youth spend more time alone than with others, we know that they spend some time with peers. They are not antisocial. They don\u2019t initiate interaction, but also don\u2019t appear to turn down social invitations from peers. Therefore, they may get just enough peer interaction so that when they are alone, they are able to enjoy that solitude. They\u2019re able to think creatively and develop new ideas \u2013 like an artist in a studio or the academic in his or her office,\u201d says Bowker.<\/p>\n
In the study, shyness and avoidance were related negatively to creativity. Bowker thinks that \u201cshy and avoidant individuals may be unable to use their solitude time happily and productively, maybe because they are distracted by their negative cognitions and fears\u201d.<\/p>\n
For the study, 295 participants reported on their different motivations for social withdrawal. Other self-report measures assessed creativity, anxiety sensitivity, depressive symptoms, aggression, and the behavioral approach system (BAS), which regulates approach behaviors and desires, and the behavioral inhibition system (BIS), which regulates avoidant behaviors and desires.<\/p>\n
Bowker says there is some overlap in the types of social withdrawal. Someone might be high in shyness, but also have some tendency toward unsociability. But, the results from her study show that when the research controls for all the subtypes, the three types of social withdrawal are related differently to outcomes. Not only was unsociability related positively to creativity, but the study findings also showed other unique associations, such as a positive link between shyness and anxiety sensitivity.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the years, unsociability has been characterized as a relatively benign form of social withdrawal. But, with the new findings linking it to creativity, we think unsociability may be better characterized as a potentially beneficial form of social withdrawal.\u201d<\/p>\n
About The Author:<\/strong><\/p>\nBert Gambini covers the arts and humanities, social sciences and the School of Social Work. He joined University Communications in 2012 after more than two decades working in Buffalo radio, including eighteen years as a program host on NPR member station WBFO. Bert is a contributing writer and member of the Professional Football Researchers Association and serves as co-host of Nickel City Chef, Western New York\u2019s local culinary competition.<\/p>\n
If you enjoyed this article, you may also be interested in:\u00a0https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/creative-spark-5-tips\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Living like a solitary hermit can be unhealthy if you\u2019re doing it for the wrong reasons\u00a0\u2014but newly-published research shows that not all forms of societal withdrawal are equal. In fact, the findings published in the journal\u00a0Personality and Individual Differences\u00a0by a University of Buffalo psychologist suggest that one form of social withdrawal, referred to as unsociability,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":4481,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4479"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4480,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4479\/revisions\/4480"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}