-- Posted by Anonymous at 7:47 pm on Mar. 30, 2008 While I'm not completely averse to them, I generally do not like big groups. For example, I just came back from the dining hall, and it was a group dinner of about 9 people. The thing is, it's just too big and impersonal: you can't just talk to one person without feeling like you're withdrawing yourself, but you also can't talk to everybody because it's almost impossible to hold the attention of 8 other people in a loud dining hall setting. Conversations go nowhere and people either end up just chatting to the people beside them, or just remaining quiet. Personally, I like one-on-one situations the best because there's the least amount of BS small talk. People tend to be the most honest when in a one-on-one situation. But that intimacy can still be had even when in, say, a group of 5. But any bigger and it's just too unmanageable IMHO. Am I the only one who thinks like this? Is my lack of appreciation for large groups a mark of my beta maleness and my inability to captivate a large audience? -- Posted by drifting at 7:47 pm on Mar. 30, 2008 Yeah, Im kinda the same way. Everyone puts on a nice act in a large group. -- Posted by malignant melanoma at 7:48 pm on Mar. 30, 2008 I don't like to be around people for long periods of time, period. -- Posted by brittany08 love15 at 7:49 pm on Mar. 30, 2008 i am exactly the same so i kno just wat u mean.... =] -- Posted by mitsuhime at 7:50 pm on Mar. 30, 2008 I'm the same way. But for large groups outside of school sometimes I start shaking (I'm claustrophobic) haha and from there on the conversation is only centered around ppl asking if I'm ok lol -- Posted by Anonymous at 7:50 pm on Mar. 30, 2008 Everyone puts on a nice act in a large group. That's EXACTLY how I feel. I find that a lot of "loud" people who talk for the sake of talking tend to do very well in large groups because nobody wants to talk about anything truly important and trivial topics rise to the top. -- Posted by Will Smith at 7:51 pm on Mar. 30, 2008 Hate big groups, mainly because of my social anxiety. -- Posted by jamescoleman at 7:52 pm on Mar. 30, 2008 i don't like large groups but i'm okay with them. too many chances where someone can do something to me and get away with it and its hard to fight in one too. -- Posted by feiyie at 10:14 am on April 3, 2008 Sometimes I don't like big groups because they have cliques.. like a small group in a big group. lol. -- Posted by Prince o palities at 1:33 pm on April 13, 2008 It's not a negative reflection on you in the slightest.  Everyone has their different social preferences.  It is possible to prefer smaller more intimate settings (like I do) without being in any way socially stunted.  I regularly speak to large groups of people and have never had any trouble captivating an audience, but when it comes to social gatherings, I simply prefer more intimate settings. There's no reason to fear this tendency, provided you don't allow it to let you retreat from society.  Just make sure to cultivate the kind of friendships that allow you to interact with people in the way you feel most comfortable.  You'll continue to be social in the way you are most equipped to be. -- Posted by climber783 at 10:39 pm on April 15, 2008 I'm like that too.  It's not that I hate people, but I'm pretty shy and introverted, so large groups aren't exactly my favorite.  I prefer hanging out with a few close friends, rather than a huge group. -- Posted by Majo at 5:38 pm on April 19, 2008 I don't really like big groups, either. I tend to think they're to draining.