More and more people are afraid of being alone, alone with themselves…
The term is especially associated with the Italian critic and researcher Mario Praz, who used it to describe the oppressive and disorderly atmosphere from the Victorian era.
What is horror vacui or fear of emptiness?
A thorough study from the University of Virginia shows that humans do not want to be left alone with our thoughts even if it’s only ten minutes. When we are left without our cell phone, book, music or anything to do, that is, we are left with our thoughts (with ourselves, I would say). For 67% of men and 25% of women, this experience can be so unpleasant that they prefer to receive a small electric shock.
When we are left alone with our thoughts, our mind begins to wander from one content to another, without direction or purpose until it finds something that is attractive and there it entertains itself for a while; and start again. These contents can be thoughts that bring us emotions, emotions without prior thoughts, we can also feel sensations. And they come and go in temporal order, questions referring to the past that can bring us judgments “if I had done this…” if I had answered that”, “what a fool I was”. However, they can also be thoughts referring to the future. “I will do this…” “and if you tell me that.”
In this study conducted in Virginia by Timothy Wilson they say that “it shows that most people would rather be doing something – even harming themselves – than do nothing or sit alone with their thoughts.” The 11 experiments show in different ways that the participants, rather than being left alone with themselves, prefer to listen to music, surf the web or send messages with their smartphone. Even receiving an unpleasant electric shock and going home sooner for the 10 minutes to pass.
Wilson and his colleagues are now trying to figure out why people are passionate about doing anything instead of doing nothing. In my opinion, I can transform those small moments of being with myself into a gift, into a time that I dedicate to myself and in which I sit, not in a chair, I feel my bodily sensations, I listen to myself in silence, I observe my mental flow and I know myself better.
However, this study does seem to me, even though I am American, a reflection of what we live here in our society. It seems that if we stop we die, that we need and that multiactivity is highly regarded and that sometimes this helps us not to confront ourselves, that erratic and constant flow of thoughts, beliefs, judgments…
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This article has been reviewed by our editorial team at PsychologyFor to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to evidence-based research. The content is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health advice.
