From ‘Isolation’ to ‘Me-Time’: Linguistic Shifts Enhance Solitary Experiences

Spending time alone is a virtually inevitable part of daily life that can promote or undermine well-being. Here, we explore how the language used to describe time alone—such as “me-time” “solitude,” or “isolation”—influences how it is perceived and experienced. In Study 1 (N = 500), participants evaluated five common labels for time alone. Descriptive and narrative evidence revealed robust interindividual variability and significant mean differences in how these labels were perceived. Overall, “me-time” was rated most positively, and “isolation” was rated least positively (but not negatively). In Study 2, we experimentally manipulated the linguistic framing of time alone, describing it as either “me-time” or “isolation”. Participants (N = 176) then spent 30 minutes physically alone, without digital interaction. Notably, positive affect increased for participants in the “me-time” condition but decreased for those in the “isolation” condition. Negative affect decreased for both conditions, but the magnitude of the decrease was larger after “me-time”. Additionally, linguistic framing affected what people thought about, but not what they did, while alone. People’s beliefs about being alone improved after “me-time” but not after “isolation.” These findings demonstrate meaningful variation in how people perceive different labels that refer to time alone and suggest that simple linguistic shifts may enhance subjective experiences of time alone.