Let me get one thing straight before I start -- I love the company of my friends, I really do. But there are some days when I would rather just laze at home alone than have dinner with my friends. There are moments when you need no company other than yourself. Being a loner isn't bad. There is a huge difference between being a loner and being alone. Some misconceptions are that loners are loners because they don't have any other choice or that they're sad and hate people around them. However, I'd like to think otherwise. Here are some perks of being a loner:

1. You have your food all to yourself

When was the last time you were with your best friend and got to eat a full bag of Cheetos? Eating with friends means having to share food even if it's the last piece of your favorite kind of wings. Meanwhile, being alone means getting to eat every last bit of whatever you want without sharing or getting judged.

2. No drama

Having fewer people around you means having to deal with less drama. Or even better, being with yourself means no drama at all. When you're hanging around with a lot of people, there's bound to be a lot of drama, and if you're the sort of person who likes to keep away from things like that, take my advice and learn to embrace the loner in you.

3. Great friends

Hmm ... a loner having great friends? You might think that doesn't sound quite right. It doesn't mean that a loner can't have friends. He or she would rather have a few close, awesome friends than a bunch of not so great ones. A loner doesn't really like spending too much time with people and when he or she does choose to spend time with someone, that is of much more value than spending time with your Average Joe.

4. Understanding the world around you

A big part of learning and understanding the world around you is observation. It is ironic how much you can learn about the world in the silence of your own company. Sitting outside on a nice, breezy day with only the sound of your favorite song on replay, you can see the beauty of the world around you like never before. This isn't just about the things around you but also people. You can understand people and society more by observing them from a distance without having to deal with the pressure of faking any kind of reaction to keep an awkward conversation going.

5. Getting to know yourself

The best part of being a loner is being by yourself. Everyone is different with different people and even more so when they are just by themselves. Being alone with yourself is like getting to know a whole new person, the only difference is that you can try to change the parts that you don't like. When you're by yourself, you have the time to get to know yourself, your aspirations and the time to make yourself a better person. You can be your complete self with no one to judge you and more than anything, you can learn to embrace the person that you are.

6. Independence

Having some alone time with yourself can make you independent. Not having to depend on anyone else makes things a lot easier. You want to go eat at the sushi place down the street but all your friends are busy? When you are comfortable with being alone, it doesn't matter if your friends can't make it, that just means more peaceful time with yourself. This also goes vice versa. You don't have to feel compelled to go to some stranger's party just because all your friends are going. You learn to be by yourself and realize that you shouldn't put yourself through something just to fit in. You are independent and comfortable being yourself and are immune to society's judgments.

Sure, life is made for exploring the world and making memories with people. But at the same time, learning who you are and who you want to be and most of all, learning to spend time with yourself plays a huge part. This article is not meant to promote anti socialistic behavior but more so to promote self love. Take some time out of your busy schedule and plan a date with yourself. After all, that's the person you're going to spend your entire life with.