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WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE POSTED BY EIZ ON THURSDAY, 19 JANUARY, 2012, 7:14 AM

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Who-Do-You-Think-You-Are.png By SHANNON DOYNE A long solitary walk in which you think through a complicated situation, a hour spent sitting quietly at home when everyone else is out–do you seek out these opportunities or avoid them at all cost? Do you like to spend time alone? Share |

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE Posted byo Eiz n Thursday, 19 January, 2012, 7:14 AM  

A long solitary walk in which you think through a complicated situation, a hour spent sitting quietly at home when everyone else is out — do you seek out these opportunities or avoid them at all costs? Do you like to spend time alone? Why or why not?

More people live alone than at any other time in history. In prosperous American c i t i e s — Atlanta, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco and Minneapolis — 40 percent or more of all households contain a single occupant. In Manhattan and in Washington, nearly one in two households are occupied by a single person.

Living alone comports with modern values. It promotes freedom, personal control and selfrealization — all prized aspects of contemporary life.

It is less feared, too, for the crucial reason that living alone no longer suggests an isolated or lesssocial life. After interviewing more than 300 singletons (my term for people who live alone) during nearly a decade of research, I’ve concluded that living alone seems to encourage more, not less, social interaction.

Students: Tell us how you feel about spending time by yourself. Do you think you might choose to live alone when you grow up? Why or why not? How do you explain why living alone, or just spending ample time by yourself, might encourage a person to be more social? Do you get enough time alone — or do you have too much? Do your friends and family support you when you need to take a break from having them around? Do you support them?

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