In today’s society, eating alone is a sign of loneliness, depression or just general unhappiness. We imagine a lonely high school kid, eating in the corner while everyone else is laughing in groups, or a miserable employee munching on a sandwich while the big shots feast around a conference table. Eating alone is a sign that something must be wrong, something must not be right. Why would anyone in their right mind want to eat lunch by themselves instead of spend time with their friends, colleagues, and peers?

This group mentality is everywhere. In schools, it seems like the group work is endless. From group discussions to presentations, it can sometimes seem like students are forced to talk more than they’re forced to think. Teachers do this because they say they are preparing us for a job environment, and in many ways, they’re not wrong. Our businesses and organizations value extroversion as one of the best traits an employee can have, the ability to sell themselves and sell others on their ideas.

However, we have to ask ourselves, is an extroverted personality really that important? Do we really want every student, every employee to be the one with the loudest opinion, who can only think and work in a group?

Of course, the answer is no. All of the great thinkers, philosophers, and innovators of our time have thrived in solitude. When Isaac Newton discovered gravity, he didn’t come up with his revolutionary idea by discussing it with a group, he came up with it while sitting by himself. Philosophers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau would spend time in nature to come up with their ideas, not brainstorm with others.

I’m not saying that being in a group is a bad thing, I’m just saying that it is not the only way to work. Schools and businesses alike should realize that there is more than one different type of person, and more than one valuable personality type. No, your average introvert might not be the best salesperson, but they might be a great inventor, writer or artist. By preventing them from working in the way that is best for them, you are stifling those abilities, which is not only bad for them, but for everyone.

We don’t just look for this extroversion at work, we look for it all the time. We eat together, we watch movies together, we go out together. We wonder what the point is in having fun if you can’t do it with someone else. We think that if someone is doing something by themselves, it is forced upon them, and certainly not something they would choose to do.

Sometimes I feel like I’m the only person who likes eating lunch by myself. In the middle of a hectic day, I love nothing more than to get my lunch, go sit in my car and listen to the radio. Or find a nice table by a window and put on my headphones. Every day is hectic and stressful, and for a few solitary minutes, while I eat, I can relax. So to all of the introverts out there who feel the same way, no, you’re not strange. And to all the extroverts, just try eating by yourself one day, you might like it more than you think.