Years ago, I forced my coworkers to Go Outside For Lunch because I was up to here of the fare at the cafeteria (all we did was cross the park to the mall on the other side, walk around for a bit and then eat at the Chinese buffet).
When we came back, our boss thanked me for socializing them and said she was happy to have me in the team (she’d inherited me from someone else and not been particularly happy about it). Then she called me one of the most sociable people in our whole group.
After recovering from the stun caused by being called “sociable”, I looked around at the people I’d dragged outside… ah yes, given that particular company, I was a damn queen bee and then some!
Doubted between 3 and 4, chose 4. People can be fun and interesting, but most aren’t; I’m not hostile towards the ones who aren’t, just disinterested.
I prefer to be around people. I enjoy spending time alone (mostly so I can sing really loud and do other things I’d be embarrassed to do in company) but only for fairly short periods; if I was to spend more than a couple of days completely on my own I’d start to yearn for company.
Pretty solidly a 4, with occasional incursions into 3 when I’m under stress. I like being around other people and can be pretty sociable when I feel the situation calls for it, but won’t seek out the company of anyone but a few certain individuals in my life, and tend to become quiet and withdrawn when I’ve had enough.
Same here, though I ultimately went with 3. People can be fun and interesting; most aren’t. In my case, though, even socializing with those who are fun and interesting can be super draining. I recently had one of my best friends here for the weekend, and though I was happy to see her, by the end of the weeekend, I needed to recharge.
I went with #9 but was almost a #10. Most of my waking hours are spent with other people, but I don’t generally get anxious if I’m alone. It’s more that I enjoy being busy and social, and for me being home and / or alone often seems unproductive. I only have so many hours a day that I’m not at work (I work 60+ hours a week) so I love doing things away from my home / office in any free time I have. It’s always more fun for me to do things with other people.
I’m the rare one that loves meeting new people and can socialize in just about any situation.
I chose “I like other people a lot, and spend time with them with no problem; I also like being alone.”
My nature is a very sociable one- I get along with most folks and get along well in most situations. I like being around people, particularly small groups of friends. I’m that person that everyone knows they can call and just stop by my house, because I don’t care.
That said, I’m an only child. I like my me time.
So, it’s split pretty equally, leaning maybe a titch toward social.
My choice would have been “I enjoy spending time with the few friends I have, but am generally anti-social.”
I have an odd relationship with highly sociable people. Most of my close friends have been extreme extroverts. I can’t appreciate their need to be surrounded by other people, but I find them useful for introducing me to people that I wouldn’t normally take the time to get to know.
Number six for me. I really enjoy socializing, but I also need alone time.
I spent four days this past weekend at my friend’s nuptial events, and probably spent 60 ish wakeful, non-bathroom minutes of that time alone. The vast majority of the time was spent with people I love dearly. It’ll go in the books as a Top Five Best Weekend Evah!!!1!. But good lord, I almost cried with joy to arrive home, where I could put on my pajamas, pour myself a glass of wine, and not talk to anyone for the whole evening.
I find the curve in the poll results very interesting. I’d be curious to see if there’s any corollary between the selection made by each voter and the total number of posts he or she has on this board.
I like people, I like to be around people but I generally choose to spend much of my time alone and I’m mostly content with my own company. I described myself as a gregarious hermit in my online dating profile, and I think it still fits. I chose option #5.
I chose option