Social Hobbies for Introverts

[PlainsWalker]

Seems like a bit of a contradiction in terms right? Here are some hobbies I have been dabbling with that get me out of my shell a bit:

Group Bike Rides
There is some chatting at the beginning and end of the ride. Sometimes a bit for the first few miles. After that everyone is just heads down in the paceline. I like being out with a group doing an activity without a lot of pressure to constantly make conversation.

Home-brewing
I have been home-brewing for years and just joined a home-brew club in the last year. I have learned a lot and had the chance to participate in several pouring events. A lot of home-brewers are also of the nerdy engineer persuasion so it's a group I fit in well with.

Who else has some ideas for social hobbies that won't send an introvert climbing out the nearest fire escape?

[ixtap]

For me, a surprising answer was dancing. I got dragged along, since I don't socialize well and I don't particularly like being touched, oh, and I am a bit of a klutz. However, I have really enjoyed it.

-It is perfectly acceptable for the entire conversation to consist of "Would you like to dance?" "Yes." "Thank you." and that is over the course of 3-5 minutes, depending on genre and live vs recorded music. It could be even longer than that for Contra dancing.
-Touching happens in very prescribed ways. Good teachers expressly comment on what is appropriate.
-It depends a lot on your local scene, but there is usually a wide variety of social aptness. Swing dancing and ballroom dancing tend to attract the engineers, less so for country and salsa, if my personal observations are any true indication.

[wordnerd]

Yoga? Volunteering (packing food at a food bank, planting trees)? Anything where you can do thigns quietly near others. :)

[Dollar Slice]

Most kinds of live performance: music, theater, ballet, poetry/book reading, etc. You're in a crowd (usually) but everyone's sitting quietly and listening/watching (usually).

[Noodle]

Also, participating in performing arts! You're busy doing what you came to do (singing, dancing, acting) and the leaders/teachers don't want you to be socializing and distracting others. A little hello and chit-chat while everyone is taking off their coats, and that's it. There are plenty of opportunities that don't require auditions. For instance choral music--I sing in my church choir, but there are secular choruses also.

[lemonverbena]

Knitting groups: you can chat without making eye contact

[Blackeagle]

For me, the shooting sports (IDPA and a little bit of IPSC).

More broadly, something you're interested in, where your interest in the activity is sufficient to overcome your introversion.

[Jenny Wren]

Our local astronomy society/club. Monthly general meeting with a speaker and casual conversation, followed by a pizza and pub visit. Regular star parties where most of us sit behind a telescope in the dark and only interact with others if/when you want. Majority of our club, at least, tends towards introversion.

Volunteer trail maintenance crew. Very much a mixed bag intro/extro-wise. United by a love for the outdoors and hiking. Since these are work crews (with work parties often followed by barbecues, picnics, or pub visits) socializing is as much or as little as you want.

The ability to control how much I interact with others and being able to take breaks without fully leaving the social event is important to me, which is likely we the above activities appeal so much.

[Kris]

Personally, I very much enjoy fitness classes where you can socialize a bit before and after. Yoga, cycling, barbell strength... something where you can do the activity by yourself but talk to people before and after.

[LaineyAZ]

Bird watching. 

[wenchsenior]

Personally, I very much enjoy fitness classes where you can socialize a bit before and after. Yoga, cycling, barbell strength... something where you can do the activity by yourself but talk to people before and after.

+1

[wenchsenior]

Bird watching.

Definitely.  Also hiking, if you can find people who don't want to chat the entire time, but can be quiet enough to observe nature and occasionally comment on it.

[former player]

Walking/hiking groups

Quilting

[soccerluvof4]

Personally, I very much enjoy fitness classes where you can socialize a bit before and after. Yoga, cycling, barbell strength... something where you can do the activity by yourself but talk to people before and after.

+1

+2

[Just Joe]

Garage shop activities - woodworking, restoring and repairing old collector cars, etc.

[BudgetSlasher]

How introverted?

The fellow we bought our house from was big into amateur radio (HAM or CB, I am not really sure). Talked to people all over the world apparently there is even a way to share images over the radio waves. He did it all from the comfort of his basement by his wood stove when he wanted to.

Of course I am still dealing with the radio wires in the trees, the poorly places grounding rods, and the mess running all of those wires out of the basement window let into the basement.

We spend a good part of the year working with the local CSA; it provides time outside, social interaction, and a credit for fresh produce. In addition to the people there are also dogs, cats, and horse to interact with.

[joonifloofeefloo]

Lots of great ones above. I'll add:

Nonperforming arts groups - music jams, strumalongs, community singing groups, drumming circles, drawing or writing meetups

Courses and workshops - postsecondary, noncredit, community-based, etc

Topic exploration groups - philosopher's cafes, death cafes, psychology discussion groups

Spirit focused groups - meditation circles, "small groups" at churches, chanting groups, small grassroots spirituality groups

[dragoncar]

Also, participating in performing arts! You're busy doing what you came to do (singing, dancing, acting) and the leaders/teachers don't want you to be socializing and distracting others. A little hello and chit-chat while everyone is taking off their coats, and that's it. There are plenty of opportunities that don't require auditions. For instance choral music--I sing in my church choir, but there are secular choruses also.

Yeah I just joined a chorus and my wife said “you need to smile more”.  Ugh

[joonifloofeefloo]

Yeah I just joined a chorus and my wife said “you need to smile more”.  Ugh

haha, that's why I don't do performing arts, only nonperforming ones. At most, only 1-2 people can see my face at a time :)     I smile big and a lot, but I don't like being watched or commented on.

[runbikerun]

Being in a running club is a pretty good option if you're so inclined. There's conversation during the warm-up and the cool-down, but it's quite easy to simply stay quiet unless spoken to and nobody thinks anything of it. The actual training tends to be pretty intense, so nobody has the breath to talk, and the people involved don't tend to drink very much so there aren't many pub outings. On top of all that, the nature of the training means you'll typically end up with a group of perhaps ten people who you spend the bulk of your training time with and who are very close to being at the same speed as you - I don't know about others, but I do like that a lot of my interactions outside work are with a reasonably small number of people.

[dragoncar]

Yeah I just joined a chorus and my wife said “you need to smile more”.  Ugh

haha, that's why I don't do performing arts, only nonperforming ones. At most, only 1-2 people can see my face at a time :)     I smile big and a lot, but I don't like being watched or commented on.

That’s cool but your paintings have like a sad feel to them can you make them more happy kthx?

[joonifloofeefloo]

lol!!

[GuitarStv]

Martial arts, particularly the grappling ones (Judo, BJJ, wrestling) are great for introverts.  You'll end up pairing off with someone else in close proximity, but don't have to actually talk all that much.  The closeness and shared one on one experience eventually means that you'll start communicating in a natural, relaxed way with your sparring partners.  It's a team sport but every match is you and one other guy, so I always found it much less socially overwhelming than other sports.

[dragoncar]

crying alone in the shower

[mustachepungoeshere]

Park Run, especially if you go with a mate.

You can interact with everyone else as much or as little as you like.

[marty998]

crying alone in the shower

@dragoncar  R U OK?

Park Run, especially if you go with a mate.

You can interact with everyone else as much or as little as you like.

You've gone from "never ever" to "never will miss" Parkrun in the space of a month haven't you! :D

[mustachepungoeshere]

Park Run, especially if you go with a mate.

You can interact with everyone else as much or as little as you like.

You've gone from "never ever" to "never will miss" Parkrun in the space of a month haven't you! :D

What, and miss your smiling face on a Saturday morning? Never! :D

[dragoncar]

Doing great now that I’m clean

[GuitarStv]

Doing great now that I’m clean

Your display pic suggests that you're not that clean.  :P

[dragoncar]

Doing great now that I’m clean

Your display pic suggests that you're not that clean.  :P

[Kriegsspiel]

LARPing. Very introvert friendly. If you get too uncomfortable, hide behind your kite shield & great helm and be a silent knight.