People
During the year, I tracked the number of family and friends talked to each day and assigned myself a social score. Interactions in person counted more than texts, but days that included more shorter interactions with multiple people typically had a higher score than days with longer interactions with only a few.
I define "friend" pretty loosely. If I am very chatty with my neighborhood crossing guard, porch sitter, or cashier, they count as my friend. So too do the people who live in my phone. We might be separated by geography but will always be United in Memes.
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My peak social participation week was in July, when my new boyfriend and best friend came home with me to meet my family (This was emotionally exhausting). My peak low weeks in May, March, and July were all about one week before I had to take a trip. Either I have a finite amount of social energy (which I'm hoarding) or I use up and coming social obligations as an excuse to be a hermit at home.
Social Battery
I don't know that I believe in absolute introverts and absolute extroverts. I do think that everyone has a certain amount of energy available for people, and that it drains fast or slow depending on the situation. For me I've noticed that it drains from two ends. I can get overstimulated and overwhelmed by the number of people and conversations in a room, and want to go hide. I can also get easily bored with a small group of people who aren't talking about something I find interesting, or where I would have to work harder to relate.
Its Not You Its Me
I'm a very different person online than I am in person. When I can hide behind a screen and no one can see my face, I have a little more time to prepare my responses and probably appear more balanced. In person, I am more impulsive and extreme. I like losing myself in experiences and not worrying too much about how I look doing it. If you know me in one context, there's a strong chance you won't love me in the other one.
I Said What I Said
I enjoy polite people who think carefully about their words and consider everyone's feelings. That being said, I feel much safer around people who have no filter at all, even if they are rude with me. Based on the number of fights I've had this year (at least five per month) I can say that no matter what kind of person you are, the medium is very much the message.
