> It almost sounds like you have two very black and white social circles
Actually, I have one social circle. Maintaining two (there were 3, in fact) was too much of a strain on my personal life. I have no doubt that if I had chosen another group, I would have had similar problems adjusting my lifestyle (I've been through this before, so I know).
It seems obvious to say "you should find smart AND fun people", but the big question is "how?". In my experience it takes a while to realize that someone meets the criteria. After all, it's not usually one thing that attracts you to/repels you from people over time - it's patterns of behaviour, or emergent behaviour from certain characteristics. And by the time you've recognized these things about them (and the negatives outweigh the positives), you're probably already friends and then you have to work on distancing yourself depending on their their social proximity. This gets complex the feelings aren't mutual (eg. they consider you a closer friend than you do them, or vice versa). I know it sounds complex, but this is based on my own experiences. I'm sure many people out there have had to deal with distancing themselves from people.
Actually, I have one social circle. Maintaining two (there were 3, in fact) was too much of a strain on my personal life. I have no doubt that if I had chosen another group, I would have had similar problems adjusting my lifestyle (I've been through this before, so I know).
It seems obvious to say "you should find smart AND fun people", but the big question is "how?". In my experience it takes a while to realize that someone meets the criteria. After all, it's not usually one thing that attracts you to/repels you from people over time - it's patterns of behaviour, or emergent behaviour from certain characteristics. And by the time you've recognized these things about them (and the negatives outweigh the positives), you're probably already friends and then you have to work on distancing yourself depending on their their social proximity. This gets complex the feelings aren't mutual (eg. they consider you a closer friend than you do them, or vice versa). I know it sounds complex, but this is based on my own experiences. I'm sure many people out there have had to deal with distancing themselves from people.