Do You Both Love and Hate Socializing? You Might Be an Introvert

Here’s why introverts can simultaneously cherish their friendships and find social interactions exhausting.

I’m an introvert, but I love going out to dinner with my friends and laughing so hard my face hurts. We take pictures, share silly jokes, and talk about embarrassing moments that are too funny to forget. Being around these good, authentic people fills my soul.

As we commiserate, we deepen our bonds, and I get the amazing feeling that I’m not going through life alone. My friends let me vent, teach me to laugh, and help me move on from the past. We talk about our children, our marriages, our mothers-in-law, and everything in between. We talk about our struggles and victories, our hopes and failures, our fears and dreams, and who we want to become in the future. For me, having friends and staying close to them is so fulfilling.

So why do I always come home at the end of a fun night feeling completely exhausted?

Why do I lie in bed and dread the next time I might run into one of my friends at the grocery store and be forced to make small talk?

Why do I feel squeamish just thinking about the thousands of words that I threw around carelessly that night?

In other words, how can I love my friends but at the same time dread being around them?

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A Study Has the Answer

Well, research can finally explain why I both love and hate being social. A University of Helsinki study published in 2016 found that acting “extroverted” initially makes us feel happy, but it leads to mental depletion and fatigue just a few hours later.

The researchers performed a small, 12-day study that tracked how people felt in terms of personality, mood, stress, and fatigue. They asked college students to record how happy they felt in the moment after they did certain things, like socialize. They also recorded how tired and stressed they felt in certain moments.

As I said, the researchers found a connection between happiness and extroversion. (They also found a connection between happiness and acting in a conscientious way — such as being altruistic or kind — but that’s not what I’m going to discuss in this article.) The people who engaged in “extroverted” behavior (regardless of whether they described themselves as an introvert or extrovert) felt happier afterward. This might look like making small talk with a cashier or texting a friend.

As time passed, however, that happiness turned into fatigue, only two or three hours later. Both the introverts and the extroverts reported feeling fatigued after socializing. What made a difference, in terms of how tired they felt, was how many people they had interacted with, the intensity of the interactions, and whether they had a particular goal in mind. As you would probably guess, the more people the college students interacted with, the more tired they felt.

These results surprised me, because they go against the idea that extroverts are energized by socializing. Turns out, everyone gets tired (eventually) from socializing, even extroverts. What the study did not look at was whether different kinds of social interaction made the introverts feel more tired than the extroverts. Knowing what we know about introverts, I’m willing to bet the introverts felt more drained by certain things like networking or lots of small talk. After all, there are some very real differences between introverts and extroverts (such as why introverts love solitude, which you can read about here).

Introverts Need Some Socializing

Another key point I gathered from the study is that, while we introverts often say we’re fine on our own, the truth is we do need some level of social interaction. Yes, we might cherish our alone time and need it to recharge, but completely cutting ourselves off from other people isn’t good for us either. The study suggests that even for introverts, a certain amount of socializing is beneficial.

Think about it this way: We’re all human, and humans are social creatures by nature. Even if you’re the “quiet type,” a bit of conversation, a shared laugh, or just the simple act of spending time with someone you care about can lift your spirits and boost your mental health. It adds a layer of richness to life that solitude just can’t offer.

That said, the key for introverts is balance. A little socializing can go a long way, as long as it’s followed by the chance to retreat and have some much-needed alone time to recharge our energy.

Why Is Socializing So Tiring?

Basically, because it takes effort. Sometimes a lot of effort. “Even in the most desirable company,” the researchers explain, it’s normal “to control one’s emotional expressions and behaviors to some extent, out of consideration for others.” Even when you’re with friends you really like, you still have to think about how you act and what you say. It’s pretty normal for us to hold back a bit, emotionally speaking, when we’re with others. When you socialize, it means you’re sort of “on stage,” making sure you’re acting in a way that’s considerate and fits the situation.

And, let’s remember that not all social interactions are positive. Sometimes, you run into awkward situations, misunderstandings, or even conflict. When that happens, you have to manage any negative feelings you might have and be extra careful about how you react. So, it’s not just the act of socializing that takes energy; it’s also dealing with the ups and downs that come with it.

As an introvert, there are times when I feel this fatigue deep in my bones. I now finally understand why I enjoy going out with friends but also feel mentally, physically, and emotionally depleted that same night. My body needs a few hours to process my surroundings and then seems to realize that socializing is tiring.

I enjoy being with my friends, but I also need a break from them after spending some time together, even if we have fun and enjoy each other’s company.

I Changed How I Socialize

After discovering this study and reflecting on its findings, I’ve made a few changes to how I socialize:

1. Limit socializing to two hours or less at a time.

After some experimenting, I’ve noticed that I can handle about two hours of chatting and being friendly. That gives me enough time to be with my friends and fulfill my need for close human interaction, but it also helps me set a limit so I can take care of my mental health.

My closest friends know that I limit my social time, and they help me by making it easy to quietly escape the situation. For example, at a recent baby shower, my friend let me park in the driveway behind her house so I could make a quick getaway. Thank goodness she did that because thirty women in a house can get loud really quickly!

When I hit my social limit, I can then leave feeling guilt-free because I did my part by showing up, being friendly, and making conversation.

2. Leave when I’m 70% done.

I used to try to socialize for as long as possible so I could squeeze as much “fun” out of the night as possible. Then I’d go home ready to crash on my bed, and my mental depletion would spill over into the next day.

Now I prepare for any events that will drain my energy by leaving social settings when I feel 70% done. Sometimes this is just after an hour, sometimes around two hours. I do this by monitoring how I’m feeling as the socializing goes on. When I’m with a close friend and can talk for a few hours, it takes me longer to reach 70% done.

There are other times when I’m surrounded by forty loud strangers and I can feel my brain melting into a puddle. So I gauge how I’m feeling as if I were a fuel tank — am I 70% full yet? Then it’s time to leave, even if I’ve only been at the party for 30 minutes. The louder the room is and the more energy it takes for me to be in that situation, the faster my inner tank reaches 70%. I’ve learned to listen to what my body is telling me, even when it seems silly to leave after just 30 minutes.

Do you ever struggle to know what to say?

As an introvert, you actually have the ability to be an amazing conversationalist — even if you’re quiet and hate small talk. To learn how, we recommend this online course from our partner Michaela Chung. Click here to check out the Introvert Conversation Genius course.

3. See people as energy givers or takers.

There are some people I love to be around. They exude happiness and charm, and are engaging to talk to. We have deep, meaningful conversations at the right times, and these people are socially adept enough to know when to stop digging deeper.

Then there are people who seem to bring a dark cloud wherever they go. Talking to them takes effort, and every sentence you say seems to hammer away at your mental health. Being around these people makes me lose energy. I can feel my back slumping and head lowering when they come around and want to talk. Engaging with them is depleting and difficult, and burnout quickly creeps in.

When I come across someone who falls in this category, I try to minimize my interactions with them. They are draining my mental, emotional, and physical stamina by simply being near me, so I need to find a way to cut it short and take care of myself. I’ve learned that my “being friendly” to them by allowing them to talk endlessly does neither one of us a service — I’m not genuinely interested in what they say, and I’m not prioritizing my own mental health. So I make sure to smile and say something simple like, “Hey, I have to run, but I really hope you have a great day!”

Now I know that I have mental and physical limits, and I need to set boundaries. Some of us may be more extroverted and enjoy socializing all night, whereas some of us might need to be done after just 30 minutes.

Regardless of where we are on this spectrum, we need to keep tabs on our inner tank and remember that fun nights out with friends can lead to fatigue later. By understanding our limits, we can balance our need to socialize with our even greater need to take care of ourselves.

How do you balance your need for interaction with your need for alone time? Let me know in the comments below.

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