Who We Associate With In Different Moods: A Study

[TiredHorse]

An interesting study on who we associate when we're happy or sad, familiar people or strangers:

People Seek Out a Certain Kind of Person When They Are Happy

Your mood might have a big influence on the type of companionship you want.

www.theatlantic.com

I find it encouraging that, as I was reading it and thinking, "well that ain't me," I came across this statement:

"Maxime Taquet, one of the study's authors and a researcher at the University of Oxford and Harvard Medical School, says that in the future, it might be interesting to look at whether people with anxiety and depression follow a different pattern. If someone who is already depressed is doing something that, according to his study, is likely to make you even less happy—like spending time with strangers—that could cause their mood to spiral down even further."

Though she then gets the causality wrong, in my opinion, at least there's an awareness that some of us may follow a different pattern.

As for, "And you already know whose side your loved ones are going to take: yours," that's a laughable presupposition --but maybe amongst the general populace it's true.

Anyway, I found it an interesting article.

 

[not_a_robot]

Strangers are the only kind of people I.can stand, and only when I'm in a good mood.
Loved ones...what are those? Every time I get close to someone I realize they're an idiot.

 

[RM5998]

Strangers are the only kind of people I.can stand, and only when I'm in a good mood.
Loved ones...what are those? Every time I get close to someone I realize they're an idiot.

Loved ones are the people that fill you with oxytocin. You recognize that, I presume?
Strangers on the internet are the best sort... There's zero baggage going to a conversation that way.

 

[not_a_robot]

Loved ones are the people that fill you with oxytocin. You recognize that, I presume?
Strangers on the internet are the best sort... There's zero baggage going to a conversation that way.

Yes! Strangers online are my favorite type of human contact even though they usually don't enjoy my company much. The detachment is a good thing, I prefer it. Safer for me, safer for everybody.

 

[HGL91]

Yes! Strangers online are my favorite type of human contact even though they usually don't enjoy my company much. The detachment is a good thing, I prefer it. Safer for me, safer for everybody.

I enjoy your company! ^_^

 

[not_a_robot]

I enjoy your company! ^_^

And I yours! But suicidal people are weird lol. Normal people always think I'm "being edgy" or "acting nihilistic", as if my natural pesonality is just some lame party trick that I pull out of my ass to try to impress people (HA!).

Them: you just act edgy to try to make people like you.
Me: Does...that mean, you like me..?
Them: NO! YOU ARE BANNED! AGAIN!

 

[HGL91]

And I yours! But suicidal people are weird lol. Normal people always think I'm "being edgy" or "acting nihilistic", as if my natural pesonality is just some lame party trick that I pull out of my ass to try to impress people (HA!).

Them: you just act edgy to try to make people like you.
Me: Does...that mean, you like me..?
Them: NO! YOU ARE BANNED! AGAIN!

Lol Banned from what??

But yeah, I can relate. My natural personality is very pessimistic, and when I've been optimistic which as an adult is basically all the time so I can stay employed and have a roof over my head and not get in trouble, it gives me so much anxiety because I know I'm lying through my teeth.

I remember when I was like 5, my girl cousin that was like a sister to me, loved the upbeat Ladybug in the movie "James and the Giant Peach" and I always related with the gothic, bipolar Miss Spider that smokes and drives the impulsive, New Yorker Centipede crazy by scolding him and then showing him love. Just goes to show I've always been secretly crazy. Definitely not a lame party trick. Hah!

 

[not_a_robot]

Lol Banned from what??

But yeah, I can relate. My natural personality is very pessimistic, and when I've been optimistic which as an adult is basically all the time so I can stay employed and have a roof over my head and not get in trouble, it gives me so much anxiety because I know I'm lying through my teeth.

I remember when I was like 5, my girl cousin that was like a sister to me, loved the upbeat Ladybug in the movie "James and the Giant Peach" and I always related with the gothic, bipolar Miss Spider that smokes and drives the impulsive, New Yorker Centipede crazy by scolding him and then showing him love. Just goes to show I've always been secretly crazy. Definitely not a lame party trick. Hah!

Full disclosure: I was well past childhood when James And The Giant Peach was released, I owned the vhs and I still can sing all of the songs by heart. Ditto Nightmare Before Christmas. Nobody can stand to watch movies with me because I do this type of thing. I do not do it to impress others (it doesn't), I do it even more enthusiastically when I am alone. How's that for edgy?

Miss Spider was the best, she had that cute beret and accent.

 

[HGL91]

Full disclosure: I was well past childhood when James And The Giant Peach was released, I owned the vhs and I still can sing all of the songs by heart. Ditto Nightmare Before Christmas. Nobody can stand to watch movies with me because I do this type of thing. I do not do it to impress others (it doesn't), I do it even more enthusiastically when I am alone. How's that for edgy?

Miss Spider was the best, she had that cute beret and accent.

Haha omg, yes! VHS. Those days....and yes! Also loved Nightmare Before Christmas. Singing to songs was my fav past time as a kid. But ya, other people could never stand me to sing either, so I also did it enthusiastically when I was alone.

 

[not_a_robot]

Haha omg, yes! VHS. Those days....and yes! Also loved Nightmare Before Christmas. Singing to songs was my fav past time as a kid. But ya, other people could never stand me to sing either, so I also did it enthusiastically when I was alone.

People would berate me "Stop trying to get attention."
I'd go "but I don't want your attention, please sing along too, or leave, and let me bellow in peace, you are distracting me."