I find I get along best with other shy people too. Shyer people just “get” me better, and yeah, they seem to have the same preference I do for close friendships. Although there are a few outgoing personalities that I mesh well with because we compliment each other well. I like them because they facilitate social interactions for me, and they appreciate me because I don’t compete for the spotlight.

There is a difference between being an introvert and being shy. Not all introverts are shy and not all shy people are introverts. (I imagine shy extroverts must be those who suffer the most.) I do find, though, that since accepting that I’m an introvert and not the social butterfly my mom wished I’d be, my shyness improved A LOT. I’m totally an overly judgemental ass too. I get annoyed by how strangers talk, how they move, what they smell like. One thing I love about my small town is that there aren’t many strangers anymore.

This! So much this!

I can’t play SWTOR yet because $%?&%?&?$%%”/$ Purolator lost the /$%$”/$”/ computer I ordered and my laptop hates SWTOR. But I’m really looking forward to learning and exploring a new game again. I love the familiarity of WoW but I can’t wait to see something different. When I found out that SWTOR ended up being a unique game and not just another WoW-wannabe, I was really happy. Hopefully I’ll be able to play by this weekend!

I really enjoyed the Social contract post as well as the Shyness post. On that subject, don’t feel bad that you’re not a social butterfly. I’ve had people try to force me out there with other social butterflies and get me “out of my shell” too. It’s just not natural and it turns out most people out there being super social are not compatible with me.

I like shy people because we usually have similar personalities. When I meet them the bonds are much stronger than someone super social who has a billion other friends/acquaintances etc. I have to say I like being shy as well, and I agree it does make one think more often and have the chance to observe the world around them more while others are making small talk. I admit I am probably in social phobia zone as well seeing as being around lots of people gives me a panic attack 90% of the time, and I try to work on that a bit here and there, but there’s no way I’ll stop being shy.

Happy New Year
Cheers- Dreamy

I’m not uncomfortable, per se, in crowds, I just don’t care for them. I suppose I’m either hyper-aware and can read people very well, or I’m just an overly judgemental ass. Either way, I’m fine staying home reading or playing on the computer. I’ve been a WoW addict for years and it’s not completely due to SWTOR’s release, but I’ve been playing that a lot more than WoW over these last couple months (I was lucky enough to be in a lot of beta weekends.)

I will never quit playing WoW- I signed up for the Annual Pass! but I’m happy to have something else to do. It’s always nice to see someone, like yourself, who is working on balancing real life and the virtual and who recognizes the need to distinguish between them.