Are You a Loner? What the Hell is That, Anyway?!

So, today I took an online test/quiz called "The Loner Test" (click on the title of this post to participate).

I received a score of 60. What the hell does that mean, you might ask? Here’s the truth the online results offered me:

“You're a happy medium on the loner scale. You enjoy socializing, but you also have your moods when you'd rather be alone. Social interaction is important for forming human bonds, getting support and affirming your own personal identity. (As Charles Augustin Sainte-Beauve said, "Tell me who admires and loves you, and I will tell you who you are.") But it's equally important to do things for yourself, have time to reflect and explore the world in your own way. In fact, doing things on your own makes you a stronger, more interesting person. Whether or not you consciously aspired to this state of harmony between independence and human bonding, you seem to have achieved it!”

On to other knowledge I have gleamed from various online resources:

Wikipedia defines “Loner” as “a label for a person who shuns human interaction for a variety of reasons. These reasons can range from a lack of certain social skills or for a desire to be with oneself. A common psychological term for this is someone who is introverted. It is usually used with a negative connotation in the belief that humans are social creatures and those that do not participate are different, though in some cases there is a certain romanticism in the idea of the Loner (see The Lone Ranger).”

Can someone be a loner and still be considered extroverted? According to another Wikipedia article, introversion/extroversion is widely regarded by experts as a continuum and most people have a mixture of both orientations in their personalities. A person who acts introverted in one scenario may act extroverted in another, and people can be taught to act “against type” in certain situations.

I believe myself to be bipolar in all the right ways, and would self-describe myself as whatever those experts are labeling people who fall between an introvert and extrovert.

I guess you can say I have a fluid personality, but I prefer you use terms like dynamic, adaptable & responsive to the needs of the moment!

A more interesting source of info would be the Urban Dictionary, which has collected these definitions from random aspiring philosophers around the globe:

“Someone that likes being alone, and is happy with what they are. Often called freaks because the general population is too think-headed to understand the phrase ‘leave me the fuck alone’”

“Someone who doesn't need other people around them to validate there own existence.”

“Basically, a person who likes being alone. Unlike the social attitude that says people who are alone are really unhappy inside, many loners are actually the happiest when they're alone. Rather than finding solace in friends and family, they find solace in things such as video games, Internet, books, etc. But the main way political beliefs are inputted into people is through being social and associating one's self with others. So unfortunately, many loners tend to have radical beliefs and hold morals that greatly differ from their peers and even their own family. To put it simply, you can find a communist in a family of patriotic Americans or a conservative in a family of liberals.”

“’Socially a misfit, prefers to hang out alone. Usually has some mental "issues" and regarded insane. Doesn't fit in with the prep, punk, jock, stoner, geek and goth crowds, may take attributes from each group. May have (so-called) friends, but only close to a few people.”

I feel like the last one describes me best. I’ve always referred to myself as a friend-whore, due to my habit of having numerous friends that have never met each other but know tons about each other. I guess I find mixing drinks easier than mixing friends. This may have something to do with the travesty which was the “family” breakup after high school graduation, but that’s definitely a whole other blog entry/therapy session!

For now, I’ll be perfecting the art of being an extroverted loner! Cheers to the weekend :)