>I wonder how it affects the people who genuinely prefer being alone, and like it!
I'm one of those people who loves being alone, and I often ask myself the same question. From my experience so far, the risks you mention are lower overall, but they're still there. I
t is often interaction with others that prompts me to be more physically active, eat healthier, etc, in the same way I suppose that it's generally easier to commit to doing or not doing something if you're responsible to someone else.
I find that as much as I love being alone, my thinking and behavior slowly 'deteriorates' and sometimes it can actively make me unhappy. I do think this can be alleviated to a large degree by being disciplined, but then that in itself is often easier with others 'watching you'.
It's fascinating and I'm now wondering how much research has been done into solitude, rather than loneliness specifically...
I was thinking about those people who call themselves "expats" and not "immigrants".
In other way: the rich is "solo", the poor is "lonely".
If you want human interaction but don't get it, that's loneliness. If you truly don't want it to begin with, that's solitude.
If you don't want human interaction but get it anyway, that's hell (to an introvert, anyway).