Social Stamina

How to optimise your networking needs, according to experts.

With summer in full swing, your extroverted best friend is psyched to socialise the night away at your mutual friend's backyard get-together. You, on the other hand, are staring at the clock and counting every second. (And we don't blame you because as the saying goes...9pm is the new midnight!) Meanwhile, your ambiverted go-with-the-flow partner, also in attendance, is happy to stay or leave anytime.

If you've ever had similar struggles navigating social gatherings, you might've chalked it up to cut-and-dried personality types. But, contrary to popular belief, "extroversion is a dimension, so you can be higher or lower [on the scale]," says

Dr Michael Wilmot, an industrial organisational psychologist and assistant professor of management College Of Business at the University of Arkansas in the US. You and your party-hopping pal aren't total opposites you each just thrive on different sides of the same spectrum.

This sliding scale allows for increased variability in personality type, but we still live in a society where extroversion dominates and, between persistent RSVPs and continual FOMO, we don't have adequate time to recharge, says psychologist Dr Arnie Kozak, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Vermont College of Medicine and author of The Awakened Introvert. "The idea of happiness and sociability is on extrovert terms." Perhaps it's no surprise then that, after being cooped up all winter, once the height of summer rolls around, you're scorched by an overscheduled festive period. Weeknights are spent at work happy hours and catch-up dinners with friends, while your weekends are booked up with weddings and family outings. And if you have kids? Factor in numerous party invites and playdates.