7 Factors That Affect Social Or Energy Batteries In Socialization

Illustration of factors affecting social batteries (Freepic)

YOGYAKARTA Social battery is a metaphor of the energy one has to socialize. This concept is attached to the personality type of extroverts and introverts. Although it's not a medical concept, it's a popular way to explain how social activity affects fatigue, anxiety, or a person's preparation for socializing.

In general, factors that can influence the length of time a person can socialize, including personality, type of social interaction, quality and ease of interaction triggering external stress. Here's the full explanation.

Extroverts tend to focus on the outside world of themselves or externally and gain energy from social interactions. Introverts, focus more on internal self and may consider social interaction to be draining. That way it can be said that extroverts have longer external batteries and lower tolerance for spending time alone. On the other hand, introverts have shorter social batteries and think independent and calm activities provide energy. Introverts can actually enjoy socializing and consider them fun.

One may feel they need more energy to interact with certain people than others. For example, interacting with colleagues in a professional context, full of pressure so that it will feel tiring and drain social batteries. Unlike interacting with family or close friends, which can still feel relaxed for hours and does not spend social energy.

The quality of interaction can also affect a person's social energy. For example, interacting with people who are insensitive, it may take a lot of energy. For example, interacting with people who are not friendly, it will be tiring rather than interacting with a group of loving friends.

Groups in larger interactions require more energy. The dynamics is also more complex, so it feels tiring. For this reason, a person's social battery can be drained and it takes time to charge more energy.

Socializing over a longer period of time will drain more energy and provide fewer opportunities to recharge. One may enjoy attending two short shows in a day with a break between the two. But consider successive social events for a tiring week.

Racism, sexism, ableism, and power imbalance affect social interactions. Launching Medical News Today, Thursday, September 26, one may fall into a vulnerable group or marginal group. They may feel their energy drained when interacting with people who do not understand their experiences.

Certain events involve stress triggers, beyond socialization itself, which will also feel very tiring. For example, someone may feel nervous about a speech or presentation they have to deliver at an event, or they may feel the journey to the venue is tense.

Those are the seven factors that affect a person's social energy. To recharge social batteries, certain strategies are needed. For example, taking a break to rest and calm yourself down. You can also vary events that are attended if the agenda is consecutively. The third way, communicate to the event maker and ask permission to go home early. Have you ever experienced running out of social batteries?