[Migrated, see pinned post] Casual Conversation

https://www.mystateline.com/news/national/almost-half-of-young-men-have-never-approached-a-woman-romantically-study/

“In the entire dataset, 29% of men said they never approached a woman in person before. 27% said it had been more than one year. This was larger for men in the age 18-25 group: 45% had never approached a woman in person,” according to the study.

A majority of single males surveyed reported fear as the main reason they do not approach women for dates in person. Fear of rejection and fear of social consequences were the two most common responses.

The data highlights a growing concern in the United States and abroad — loneliness. A 2023 report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that almost half of U.S. adults report “measurable levels of loneliness.”

It's interesting to say the least. It seems as though the social repercussions and rejection are the most profound reason. While the fear of rejection is easy enough to digest. But I think the fear or social consequences is a relatively new construct.

From what I understand it's the fear of being viewed as a creep to approach a woman out of the blue. Which to me, is reasonable enough. But I don't think I have ever heard my old man or anyone of his generation bringing this to the table.

Yet I do remember asking my friends about picking up hints and whether or not men are really that bad at it. And most them saying the just don't want to risk misinterpreting it.

Perhaps there is an argument to be made that approaching women like this, has fallen out of social fashion. What do you guys think?

p.s. I hope this is casual enough of a conversation. I kinda screwed up my last one, I admit.

Edit: Here is a more detailed paper on the survey for those that are interested

Feel free to have a look at !movies@lemm.ee !television@lemmy.world and !animation@lemm.ee

Me...

What's your plans for this evening?

I'm doing bugger all, it's been a long week, ok when i say bugger all, i mean that ill probably find a film to watch, im thinking ill probably watch 'Alien' again (seen it countless times) ready for when 'Alien: romulus' hits the cinemas.

Those have been my two favorite sodas for decades. Coca-Cola cherry and Dr Pepper. Both I think I had the first time at the end of the 90's when I went back to Poland on vacation to visit relatives. Now there are also those zero sugar variants.

I just think it's so cool that anyone can just make custom toys now and sell them.

Yes a lot of stalls just sell the same thing, but yesterday I went to a fair and the 3 big stalls were so unique.

1st stall was all about high precision toys. Like I can't explain how smooth the toys were. Talking to him he was all about making them as dialed in as possible with these tiny super delicate gears and moving wings on toys, or puzzles that glide like they are oiled off each other. I'm too lazy to go find the thing I bought as I was walking around the house playing with it.

2nd stall was all about large cartoony ones using a printer that can do up to 5 colors! I ended up getting a little dino!

Then the last one was a guy who only printed things he personally designed! With all his pieces being toys that are giant version of lego things like his giant lego light sabers that are straight out of lego star wars

(off his website as I didn't buy anything from him)

It's just so cool that these people can build their own little toy factories and make a variety of toys either in special ways, or make their own unique toys. I know it's not star treck replicators, but it's still just exciting to me.

I actually owned 3d printers in the past, but the effort to dial them in just wasn't super worth it to me, since it felt like an all day activity to get my cheap printer to print my little $2 toy. Would much rather spend $5 to get a much better version off of someone else who spends all day working to make the print quality ace and put their own spin on the toys.

And before some smartass goes like: "are you living in the 90s? Girls play videogames dude, I'm a girl gamer! I even play Fortnite and CoD with my roommates."

Videogames in terms of the crowds that attracts is male dominated, especially as adults. Some girls replying that they play doesn't change that fact. I've never met a single girl into games... except one. My English teacher, she was younger than me, I think barely an adult (night school for adults). But I quit that place without finishing the studies and never connected with teachers, plus we're from different countries, there's no common ground, aside that I've never an adult woman into them. Do they think they're silly and childish?

I have never driven a car. I have never went to camping. I have never went on a trip. I have never went beyond middle school. I have never went to prom. I have never had real friends after reaching teenage. I had never had a girlfriend. I never had sex. I have never lived by my own. I have never travelled alone. I have never been in a concert. I haven't felt genuine happiness since I've became a teenager.

So, what are yours? I won't judge you.

Edit: made it !unfinishedprojects@lemmy.world

I don't mean work in progress stuff. I mean a place of glory for the unshareable, the embarrassments, the failures, the projects you shelved years ago but won't restart or let go of entirely; preferably with a humorous meme twist or mascot. Am I the only one that would find this therapeutic and interesting? Ideas?

Everyone is now asking me what i want for my birthday, there's this strange pressure that because it's a milestone birthday, you have to have something lavish, people say "you're only 50 once you know!" but you're also only 49 once too! and the truth is, i dont know, i haven't got the foggiest idea of what I want.

To be honest id be happy with a couple of bottles of rum, maybe a bottle of red wine, and the obligatory things you'd buy your dad on father's day, things like socks, pants and some Lynx toiletries!!

It's just another birthday.

Edit: i was mainly referring to the presents that some people want to buy me, rather than things to actually do. I'm having the usual birthday bash, so don't go thinking I'll be moping around the house!!

I hope everyone is doing great! I have been having a rough few days hehe, I would normally be sleeping rn but I cant due to anxiety for a few days, i don’t have anyone else to talk with at the moment so here I am

Edittt: Also idk how many of u who come across this are anime fans, ignore otherwise, but for some reason i hv been wanting to watch (something like) toradora once again lol, it kinda keeps my mind occupied so i think of anime all day lol, if anyone has any suggestions pls drop them :)

I was trying to Lucid Dream a few years ago and forgot about this topic and the last days I have been trying to provoke it.

I also work nightshift only since a few years and quit using it because I never had issues sleeping after work but now I threw in 3 mg of Melatonin and what else can I say other than I had the most lucid dream ever in my life.

It felt so real. Normally I get scared after looking into the mirror of my bathroom because it was pitch black and had no reflection. Numbers never made sense either. So while I knew all that I ran to the bathroom and looked into the mirror knowing it won't show reflections and started laughing "It worked".

It's a funny subject to me because everytime I watched the youtube videos and read on the internet I was like "weirdos" and now I can't wait to go back to sleep tomorrow night.

I have a feeling though it was a one time experience. Especially if I don't use melatonin.

Anyone else have had lucid dreams? Perhaps someone doing it daily?

How round robins work: How they work is a person starts a story by laying out the first sentence, and a reply comes up with the next sentence to the story, and whatever replies to that reply becomes the next sentence, and so on and so forth. So it's like if Twitch wrote a novel, though it's a classic game, one that serves as a remedy for writers' block that also happens to be fun.

First person to reply starts the story.

Hey guys, I moved away from home and I miss it every day.

Is anyone in the same position or had the same experience and what helped? Now that we bought the house and have a debt I can't easily get back to where I came from in the near future. Lucky enough though it's only a 8 minute drive (the town I use to live in is about 5 miles away from where I live now).

I think a big part of my thoughts circling is that I grew up in the other town and know all the people and in the town I now live in I barely know anyone... I can't explain they aren't unfriendly, infact most are welcoming and friendly, but have different interests than I do.

My old town had a nice lake that was a 5 minute walk. Now I can't even walk to the lake anymore and even by bike it is about 30 minutes away.

Seems like nobody's asking this so might as well do it.

I have just found £160 in an old wallet that ive not used for 6 months.

Although it's not really a win, the wife said we can use it to pay for paint and decorate the living room.

Note to self, don't be so open when finding spare cash!