People Who Actually Enjoy Silence Usually Have 9 Increasingly Rare Traits
Thidarat Kwangten | Shutterstock Everyone enjoys alone time to some degree, but people who truly enjoy silence, with only their thoughts for company, are unique.
Silence can be disconcerting for some people who prefer background noise like music or TV to keep them company. People who thrive in the quiet tap into their own imagination and creativity as their background noise. They also happen to share some uncommon personality traits.
Rare traits of people who prefer to sit in silence when spending time alone:
1. They can sit with difficult emotions
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Instead of using their phones or other devices to distract themselves from their feelings, people who truly enjoy silence learn to sit with their emotions. It's how they process what they're feeling.
The kinds of people who actually enjoy silence grow more self-aware the more time they spend alone, because they don’t have to seek external reassurance or distractions to deal with their feelings. They can acknowledge them and formulate how to manage what's bothering them.
2. They’re very curious
A truly curious person is rarely bored, even without stimulation in a completely silent setting. That’s why they enjoy deep conversations and alone time, because there’s always something of value to engage with, whether that’s a story from someone else or a thought they’re playing around with in their minds.
Technology has made curiosity a rarity in our modern world. People rely on their phones and constant stimulation to avoid the silence that prompts introspection.
3. They recharge alone
Like many introverted people and intuitives, those who appreciate silence may need this quiet to recharge. While extroverted people can recharge and feel most energized after spending time with others, someone who appreciates silence needs time alone to protect their social battery.
Whether it’s resting their minds or relaxing their bodies, they crave this space, away from the busyness of the world, to come back to themselves.
4. They separate themselves from their thoughts
No matter how convincing or intense they are, you are deeper than your thoughts. Just because you think something doesn’t make it true. Just knowing that can help to ease the anxious spirals and negative self-talk that so many people experience, but still, many would rather be electrically shocked than spend time alone with their own thoughts for too long.
However, someone who enjoys silence has made peace with their thoughts, usually disconnecting from the rambling that happens when they’re finally not distracted. They feel emotions in their bodies and rely on habits that help them process them, but they don’t let thought spirals take over.
5. They are comfortable in their bodies
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Part of truly processing and accepting emotions comes from experiencing them in your body first.
That’s why people who truly enjoy silence tend to boast a kind of emotional intelligence and security others lack. They sit not only with their minds, but also intentionally with their bodies when they’re alone. Whether it’s active meditation or simply relaxing and feeling into their bodies, they’re not trying to run from anything.
6. They’re authentically creative
Solitude can be revolutionary for creatives, at least according to psychoanalyst Ester Buchholz. Instead of shaping their creativity by external expectations and trying to fit into a mold, people who truly appreciate silence and solitude give themselves room to think and brainstorm authentically.
It's why the absence of boredom is having such an impact on creativity and imagination in general. Whether that’s making tangible art or simply brainstorming ideas at home, these people connect with themselves and blossom into authenticity outside of the public eye.
7. They have an accessible foundation of calm
Just a few minutes of silence soothes our nervous systems and lowers cortisol levels, reducing stress and reconnecting us with a sense of calm. However, when someone’s busying themselves to avoid solitude and using stimulation as a distraction from silence, they’re feeding into chaos.
People who actually enjoy silence have not only learned to appreciate its ability to soothe in the moment, but they’re practiced at finding this calm foundation out in the world. When they need a break, they can go inward, without feeling like introspection is a personal attack.
8. They are good learners
Noise exposure and stimulation can sabotage someone’s ability to learn and retain information. Even if it’s at home reading a book or working on a project, background noise and conversations can often dull someone’s memory.
However, someone who appreciates silence gets all sorts of benefits to their concentration and curiosity. Strategically using silence when they need to learn something new or focus helps keep their brain’s attention in check.
9. They’re patient
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Trying to multitask while being constantly stimulated can lower our attention spans over time. It’s easier for us to get distracted because technology has conditioned us to struggle with staying focused.
However, people who appreciate silence are also practicing patience. They’re comfortable existing with their thoughts or being in their body, even if there’s a lot going on. At home, they find comfort in the stillness and have it in their back pocket when they need a break. Suddenly sitting in traffic isn't grating because they are comfortable with simply waiting. They never view that time as a waste.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
