If there’s one thing you might discover from all the social distancing and isolation happening during the coronavirus outbreak, it’s how stir crazy you may go. Some people can’t handle being restricted to being home all the time and only leaving the house for short walks.

However, on the other end of the spectrum, others might actually enjoy the time alone. That’s right, they may find they actually have time to think in quiet and get some things done by themselves that they haven’t gotten to do in a long time, increasing their happiness.

What’s the difference between these two people, you wonder? Well, if you value your alone time, you may be a pretty smart cookie, according to science.

A recent study published in the British Journal of Psychology took data from more than 15,000 people aged 18 to 28. They looked specifically at the following factors: the area they lived, population density in those areas, where social relationships fall on their level of happiness, and their general degree of happiness with life overall.

You might think that most people enjoy being around crowds, but actually, most people don’t, the study found. But the craziest part about the study is that there was a clear difference in the intelligence levels of those who enjoyed crowds the most to the least.

It turns out that people of “average intelligence” are negatively impacted by large groups and “smarter people” are able to adapt their happiness around people.

The clincher of the study, however, states that the highly intelligent people actually do better when they’re alone. “More intelligent individuals experience lower life satisfaction with more frequent socialization with friends,” the study states.

That means that smart people actually feel happiest when they’re alone. No people around, no distractions around—just me, myself and I! While some might assume being alone = being sad, this is the total opposite for smart people, according to the study.

There are quite a few theories of why this could be. For one, in the same way introverts like to recharge without people around, intellectuals might enjoy this feeling as well. Being alone allows your brain to relax instead of being go-go-go all the time (which may stress someone out).

Additionally, intellectual people also find solitude in working toward an individual goal and find socialization distracting, causing them to feel unhappy. Being alone in quiet can allow you to be more creative.

Not being around crowds can also help you really dig deep into who you are as a person. You might find that you simply enjoy the company of yourself more than others—and there’s nothing wrong with that!

Are you someone who values their alone time—or are you happiest when you’re out and about mingling with friends?