I genuinely don’t understand why society treats social interaction like it’s one of the most important things in life.
If someone spends a weekend alone, people assume they’re lonely. If someone has no interest in constant messaging, group chats, or hanging out every week, people think something must be wrong.
Meanwhile, a lot of social interaction seems repetitive. The same conversations, the same small talk, the same routines repeated over and over.
People talk about socialising as if it’s automatically meaningful, but for many interactions the main purpose seems to be avoiding boredom or avoiding being alone.
If somebody has no friends it’s often treated like a tragic disaster, but what if that’s actually what they prefer?
Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t see why being comfortable alone is viewed as strange while constantly needing people around is viewed as normal.
Humans have evolved for ages to be socially dependent creatures. Humans are also highly intelligent, and can tool their way through a situation for which they aren’t technically “fit.”
So, is social interaction really all that? Yes. Will you be fine without it? Being charitable and assuming you’re excluding basic needs which have been socialized like shelter and food—maybe.