Why Being Alone Might Be Exactly What You Need (Sometimes) — Robert CoplanUncomfy: Sticking with Moments That Challenge Us • Season 2026, Episode 5
Feb 4, 2026 • 20m
Why being alone feels so hard—and how solitude can make you healthier, calmer and more connected.
Robert Coplan spent months on the road as a solo musician, driving through the southern U.S. with long stretches of boredom, isolation, and nowhere to escape his own thoughts. Then he made one small shift that turned his misery into meaning.
Coplan has since spent his career studying solitude—why we resist it, what it gives us when we stop fighting it, and how too little “me time” can leave us stressed, irritable, and disconnected.
GUEST
Robert Coplan is a professor of psychology at Carleton University and author of “The Joy of Solitude: How to Reconnect with Yourself in an Overconnected World” (https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Joy-of-Solitude/Robert-J-Coplan/9781668053423)
Episode transcript - https://uncomfypodcastbyu.blogspot.com/2026/02/why-being-alone-might-be-exactly-what.html
CHAPTERS
(0:00) Introduction
(1:05) Meet Robert Coplan
(1:28) From Musician to Psychologist
(3:17) The Joy of Solitude
(5:28) Experimenting with Solitude
(10:32) The Role of Technology in Solitude
(13:08) Loneliness vs. Solitude
(15:46) The Concept of "Aloneliness"
(17:09) Normalizing the Need for Alone Time
(18:12) Conclusion