maybe this is obvious but the reason socializing is exhausting is because it involves constant modelling of other people which is very cognitively demanding
Conversation
you actually don't have to cognitively model anyone in a conversation ever, depending on autism level or w/e you can learn to talk entirely based on vibes
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i tend to think the underlying exhausting thing, besides the raw amount of new significant input to pay attention to, is that most people are constantly suppressing a lot of emotional reactions they have to things in conversation - bits of anger, sadness, fear, etc.
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i would sort of fold "constantly cognitively modeling everyone" into this b/c i think the underlying emotion that powers that behavior is a kind of anxious fear of losing track of the conversation, saying the wrong thing, etc.
it can be actively replenishing to have a conversation with someone in which you can "be entirely yourself," in the sense of not having to suppress any of your reactions to what's happening
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