A few years ago, we asked our Upworthy audience to share things they enjoy that other people don’t understand. Overwhelmingly, the most common answer was some variation of: “I like to be alone.” In a time when loneliness has been called an “epidemic,” it may come as a surprise that so many people actually crave solitude. As someone who relishes alone time, I can say with certainty there’s a big difference between being alone and being lonely. And science backs that up. People shouldn't be embarassed to eat alone, to sit alone, to be alone. That doesn't mean you're lonely, sometimes being alone is good.—