Cacioppo’s studies highlighted the notion that loneliness functions similar to a biological alarm system, just like hunger or thirst. Even if you are surrounded by twenty people whom you refer to as friends and feel the need to hide yourself behind social pleasantries, your brain will still send out that alarm for loneliness. The reason being that you are emotionally isolated. However, on the other hand, you might only have one friend who you speak to every week but who knows everything about you – your past, your worries, and even your unadulterated opinions – and you could not feel any more secure.

In case you’re a woman with an extremely small social circle, the first step would be accepting the reality and understanding the idea that you don’t have to wait until the world allows you to become who you want to become. Our society is based on the principles that assume “extroversion” and “sociability” as basic conditions that help individuals achieve success, while everyone who differs from these qualities is called antisocial or difficult. However, being a person aware of her personality can become quite a bold decision.

Having a limited circle does not mean that you lead a “limited” life or that you are socially inadequate. To the contrary, having a limited circle is quite often an indicator that you lead your life with great purpose. Having a limited circle indicates that your “entry bar” is high—high not because you are elitist, but because you value your inner peace. You’ve come to understand that your time is your greatest asset, which you don’t wish to waste on relationships that will drain your energy instead of replenishing it.

You have a limited circle because it cannot be otherwise. In a world that becomes noisier, more theatrical, and shallower day after day, only very few individuals have the “respiratory system” to dive into deeper waters in which you find yourself. If you have managed to find even just one or two individuals who can join you on those waters, you are not socially inadequate; you are simply socially gifted.