Think about the last time you were alone. Maybe you were commuting to work or had woken up before the rest of your household. Perhaps you live alone. Did you revel in that period of solitude, long to connect with another person or let it pass by without much thought? Solitude is inevitable. Adults in the UK and US spend around one-third of their waking lives alone and that increases as we get older. In many places, we live alone in greater proportions than ever before. A recent survey of 75 countries shows that 17 of them have more than 25 per cent solo households.