In fact, even when individuals were given time to prepare for being alone — meaning that they were able to plan what they would think about during their moments of solitude — the participants still found it hard, Timothy Wilson, a psychologist at the University of Virginia and lead author of the study, told The Washington Post. I mean, no one was going to shock themselves by choice, Wilson, told The Washington Post in reference to his initial position during the conception of the study, published yesterday in Science.