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It's weird that people tend so strongly to be friends with people so close to their age. If you're 30, why are you so much more likely to be friends with another 30 year old than, say, a 45 year old?
Thanks, I liked this and it updated me. I. do still think there is a somewhat strong "socially acceptable" element here, but I also think I was underestimating the importance of these lifestyle differences.
2Viliam
I suppose the "socially acceptable" element is a part of why it would feel weird for me to try joining a group of people in their 20s, on the occasions that I meet such group, in contexts where if it was a group of people in their 40s instead, I could simply sit nearby, listen to their debate for a while, and then maybe join at a convenient moment, or hope to be invited to the debate by one of them. Doing this with a group of people a generation younger than me would feel kinda creepy (which is just a different way of saying socially unacceptable). But such situations are rare -- in my case, the general social shyness, and the fact that I don't have hobbies where I could meet many people and interact with them, have a stronger impact. The most likely place for me to meet and talk to younger people are LW/ACX meetups.
For me, one place I've noticed it is in my racquetball league. There is a wide mix of ages, but I've noticed that the 30somethings tend to gravitate and the 50+ aged people tend to gravitate.