Should I be worried about the amount of social interaction I make?

[llamatoes]

On Friday, i got back from school, did my homework, booted up KSP and went into the forums while I waited for the game to load. During that time, I realised that I had said about 50 words to anyone my own age that weren't "leave me alone, I'm trying to read" or some variation), just trying to be polite or because I had to work in a group. The people who are closest to my age who I regularly interact with are the girl I sit next to English (and might i say she is butcher than me, but that's. It saying something), my biology teacher, who is 24, and Nerdcubed. But he dosen't count.

I still speak to adults socially, but I just can't speak to people my own. I am currently 15, but when i started at secondary school, at 11, I made quite a large group of people I talked to, but now I just don't. I don't share any Intrests with them.

Should I be worried?

Edited May 13, 2013 by llamatoes

[ROFLCopter64bit]

Nah, I do worse, but finding friends on steam to chat to regularly should satisfy your social craving.

[Rockcoole]

Not interacting with other people is great in my opinion. Of course most people don't want to live a life of total solitude like me. You souldn't really be worried. As long as you can still hold a conversation with someone and not want to leave after hello you will be fine.

[Luna Lovecraft]

Keep talking to those adults hon. I was able to get my social interaction that way. None of the kids in my grade have any interests remotely near mine (and 1/4 of them refuse to talk to me because they're scared that I'm transgender) but I've been able to pull through. You can do it too. I know it gets tough at some times, but as long as you keep yourself talking to people who you can talk to you'll be okay.

[lobsterbark]

I gave up trying to be friends with most of the people at my school. The vast majority of them are too stupid to to have a normal conversation with. With the exception of exactly two people.

[llamatoes]

I have the same issue. Whenever I go To the ICT rooms, at which point I just browse the Internet, whatever I can find on YouTube. Unfortunately I am usually being elbowed by the year 7s ( 11-12 year olds) who go to the ICT room to play minecraft. They have issues, they go to school extra early to play minecraft with their friends.

It's not that I'm against the life of social solitude, and I was reminded poignantly of why it seems like a nice idea is Facebook yesterday.

[Canopus]

Its the same for me. The people at my school just don't share any interests with me.

[loppnessmonsta]

Nah. I was the same way. I was never one for partying, either, so I spent a lot of time doing my own thing. I did have a small group of friends that I spoke with every day, but never more than 5-6, and we didn't hang out every night. I'm 25 now, and part of that same group of friends and I still hang out... about once or twice a week, not counting xbox-live. Otherwise, I spend all of my time by myself reading, playing ksp, etc.

To give you an idea of the sort of social life I had... I got FFXI when I was 16, just after I got my driver's license. Over the next 5 years, I dropped 10,000 hours into it. So... yeah. You're not weird. Even the bit about communicating more easily with people older than you isn't all that unusual. I STILL do that. Probably helps that my parents and I are very close, and they're in their late 60s.

[Specialist290]

I'd say it's a good idea to be selective about who you consider your friends. It's better to have a tight-knit circle of companions who you know you can trust than a large net of "fair-weather friends" who are only around when things are going well (or worse, who turn around and actively profit from your misfortune).

Also, people's brains are just wired differently. Some of us are extroverts, who live for social interaction. Some of us are introverts, who shy away from the spotlight when we feel the need to recharge our batteries. There's nothing inherently wrong with being one or the other.

Personally, I've always been one of those quiet loner types myself. I enjoy getting out, doing interesting things and meeting interesting people as much as anyone, but I'm often quite content to curl up in a corner with a book or my laptop and let the world carry on as it will outside my little bubble.

[ZedNova]

It's good to know how to live without others, makes you more independent. As long as you don't start feeling really awkward during normal face-to-face conversations, you're getting plenty of social interaction.

[Foamy]

Watch this:

Then this series:

Helped me a lot.

[Leonov]

It's good to know how to live without others, makes you more independent. As long as you don't start feeling really awkward during normal face-to-face conversations, you're getting plenty of social interaction.

+1 on this, very good advice. Also what was said earlier about close knit group.

[llamatoes]

On the close knit group, i think i have about three friends I really can speak to and trust not to try and murder me, but other than that, not to many freinds.