Which do you prefer: groups or one person?

I’m an extrovert and easily able to hold multiple conversations and have a natural tendency to entertain. I prefer more than one person, except for a select few as often, especially if the one person is more introverted, I end up feeling burdened with carrying the conversation and keeping things flowing. In a group I can always move on to someone more interesting and lively if the person I am talking with is not able to carry their end of the interaction.
The more the merrier is my motto.

I’m comfortable in small groups of 3–5 people but usually more so with one or two people. Nowadays I tend to shy away from large groups.

I love them both at different times. Community events that are large don’t bother me at all, but large houseparties are sometimes intimidating, people can get really stupid you know?! I tend to enjoy groups of 10–20 more.

Groups fragment focus unless they are all listening to one speaker. Usually you have to raise your voice to actually carry on a conversation. I am very sensitive and feel the energies of everyone around me quite acutely. This can be uncomfortable.

I prefer one on one. This scenario allows for attention, listening, and calmly speaking. This is much preferable in my mind to finding one claustrophobically ensconced within a group of gaggling, honking, and chirping beasties who are usually more concerned with creating a symphony of noise with one another than actually communicating.

Well..I do have to say that I also cherish my hermit side. When I’m on I am on and when I am off I am off. lol

For what? Different situations call for different groups. I wouldn’t want to ALWAYS be with a single person – variety is good and you gt bored with them. Sex, on the other hand, is better for me with a single person.

This is way too situation-dependent for a broad answer.

Same answer as the Elephant.

It depends. I like both I guess.

I prefer to work in a group.

I really like being alone with my husband. In the last few years I realize how much I prefer it to be just him and me on vacations and when exploring in general. Too many people complicates everything. I really like the idea of travelling with many friends and family, but in reality I find it difficult.

However, getting together with a group of friends a couple times a month I find very enjoyable” dinner, or to watch a game, hang out by the pool, I really like the coming together of people and having a network of people.

I’m a pretty extreme introvert. I was talking to someone the other day, and I was thinking that there might be some formula for working out my comfort or discomfort with different numbers of people. Something like this, maybe, where a value of 100 = ideal…

100 – (x * 50)

x = number of people there besides me
Any number > 0 is a positive experience, while less than 0 is a negative experience.

So, I can work out that…

1 (just me) = 100
2 = 50
3 = 0
4 = -50

etc…

** Of course, this is all just horseshit. But I think there is something to it.

I’m an introvert, which theoretically means that I should prefer one-on-one interactions, but I actually find that one-on-one situations put extra pressure on me to deliver half of the sociability. Groups have the advantage of spreading the participation around. If i want, I can just recede into the background, and no one will even miss me. Or I can come forward if I feel like it, though that’s a little harder in a group.

I really do enjoy being around people, I just don’t enjoy feeling exposed to much attention. Groups can provide a little cover.

What @thorninmud said.

@thorninmud & @tom_g Haha…too funny!

Well…..it’s no picnic being an extrovert at times, people get so used to depending on you to carry the social scene along that when I go silent, I am always accosted with ” are you alright?”
“Is something WRONG, you’re SO QUIET!” 0-o
Ya know, us energizer bunnies DO like being quiet too. Pffft!

It depends on my mood. Usually I prefer one person. It feels more intimate and less superficial than a group.

I’m an introvert, so I find safety in numbers. If I’m with a group of people, rather than just one-on-one, I don’t need to work so hard at conversations.

I do know how to make one-on-one small talk at parties and events. It drives me crazy that younger people often lack those social skills. I’ll make an introductory comment, or ask an opening question, and get nothing back in return. My theory – this is the result of growing up texting and emailing rather than interacting.

Anything more than 3 plus me and I’m probably going to be drowned out. Depends on what we’re talking about, too.

One person :)

Me alone: OK, but I get on my own nerves after a while.
Me +1 person I enjoy being around: Great.
Me + Crowd of people I like: Ok for short periods of time, but I quickly become drained.
Me + 1 person I don’t know: Terrifying.
Me + Crowd of people I don’t know: Not great, but I can survive for a while.
Me + large crowd of people I don’t know and will likely never see again: Awesome.

I have horrid social interaction fright, and absolutely zero stage fright. I’m weird.

My gut-reaction was to say that I exclusively prefer one-on-one interactions, but that’s not necessarily true. There are a lot of factors to take into consideration like: how much sleep did I get? How busy am I? How long has it been since I last spoke with this person? Why has it been that long since I last spoke with that person? What do they want? Do I want to be in this social interaction right now? If given the option between being alone and being with this person, which one would I honestly choose?

In general, I prefer one-on-one settings with people I enjoy being around. But sometimes, as much as I might love that person, I might not feel like chatting at that moment.

The second preference would be a small group (five people is seriously pushing it, but that’s the size of my DnD group). However, I will still feel drained after a small group interaction no matter how much hanging out with them. I am an introvert and become mildly anxious in social settings.

Being in a big group (larger than five) is the least preferable situation even if I love every single person present. I just can’t enjoy myself when there are that many people around.

@Skylight The symphony of noise is exactly the term I’ve used for years!

I don’t do so well in large groups myself because I can’t sort out the individual conversations. It’s exhausting, and after a while I just shut down and listen to the symphony.

I don’t mind being in a group but I like to spend quality time with one or two others with whom I’m really close. Being in a group means too noisy, too loud and too ridiculous! I can’t stand a group of people talking and laughing loudly.

It depends on person to person means in case of my GF, I prefer to spend time alone with her. And, if I have a plan to hangouts with my friends so I like to a huge group of friends.

I prefer interacting with one person at a time. I feel awkward in groups.