So what age groups you may tend to lean towards

[shootingstar]

when you socialize? People around one's own age group? Has that changed in past few years? Or depends what you are doing?  At work, my team tends to be an older group mid-30's and up. It's good for myself personally to be working with others significantly younger than I, from a client service perspective. Most clients I work with already have over 10-15 years of work experience (in anything).

My job doesn't require me to work with children/teens. And I don't have children. So the prolonged exposure to children for me, are nieces and nephews and now, their children..which happens only every few years. 

For past few years, seems I socialize with people most easily with age range of 10 years younger and  up 15 years older than I. 

Part of my problem is covid isolating us, and also me not kicking butt to join groups locally in various activities in past few yrs.

 

[ChrisL]

In the office I am the old guy so everyone is 10-20 years younger.  Some I deal with daily are my son’s age.

After the service I was talking to all age groups from those in their 80’s to teenagers.  I caught up with a cousin I haven’t seen in ages who’s son is playing HS baseball.  Her & her son & I were talking baseball for a good hour. 

[Mr. Beanz]

Work dudes are 30 years younger. Pretty much just work and not much socializing..

Bike friends are older. I'm 59, most our bike friends are 61-70. 

[Wilbur ★]

Socially, 30 plus.  A mix is good.  

Work, first officers will be younger but ideally 40ish is best.  Flight attendants between 30 and 50 are best. 

[Zephyr]

I am the old guy at work.  After hours, if (and that is a big "IF") I am going to socialize, I just try to do it with people who are not total assholes.  

Most of my 'socializing' is me doing stuff and people wanting to come along.  Normally I am the oldest because not a lot of people my age out here doing what I want to do

[Longjohn ★]

I try to hang with the younger crowd because the older folks are mostly dead.

[shootingstar]

54 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

I try to hang with the younger crowd because the older folks are mostly dead.

Healthier too for your mental status.  Unless one enters into interesting, wide-ranging conversations which is 1 of the things where it's a click for me.

[ChrisL]

16 minutes ago, shootingstar said:

Healthier too for your mental status.  Unless one enters into interesting, wide-ranging conversations which is 1 of the things where it's a click for me.

At the service I was talking to the boyfriend of my cousins daughter (19/20 YO) about the war & Ukraine & the Cold War.  Seemed like a bright kid who was genuinely interested about the Cold War and ties to the current war.   

[MickinMD ★]

2 hours ago, shootingstar said:

when you socialize? People around one's own age group? Has that changed in past few years? Or depends what you are doing?  At work, my team tends to be an older group mid-30's and up. It's good for myself personally to be working with others significantly younger than I, from a client service perspective. Most clients I work with already have over 10-15 years of work experience (in anything).

My job doesn't require me to work with children/teens. And I don't have children. So the prolonged exposure to children for me, are nieces and nephews and now, their children..which happens only every few years. 

For past few years, seems I socialize with people most easily with age range of 10 years younger and  up 15 years older than I. 

Part of my problem is covid isolating us, and also me not kicking butt to join groups locally in various activities in past few yrs.

 

I taught high school and coached high school sports and have always felt comfortable around teenagers - though I wouldn't want to spend a whole evening with them.  Otherwise, I'm comfortable mostly with people in the 50's to 80's.

I love thrill rides and tend to hang with the kids at theme parks. When 13 of our extended family went to Busch Gardens Virginia and then Water Country Virginia back before the pandemic, I went on every one of the roller coasters and the fast-downhill rides with the teenagers.

On our extended family Caribbean Cruise, our then-teenage hottie Grace dragged me to the "Silent Disco" to dance with her: you wear headphones that play rock, country, or latin music and dance. Since your partner may have one of the other two channels one, few people dance in time with each other! That was definitely showing off on my part!

I also did The Crypt at Kings Dominion with my nephew and his school orchestra friends.  They won 2nd place in a school orchestra competition in nearby Fredericksburg, VA and the awards were given the next day at Kings Dominion.  To this day, some will see me in a store and say, "I remember you! You're Ryan's uncle who rode The Crypt with us at Kings Dominion!"

 

[12string]

I never really thought about it, we have quite good friends at all age levels.  It often depends on the activity, we're finding that things like hiking and biking tend to put us in a younger crowd.

[Kirby]

Most of my friends are a few years older, but we're generally in the same range.   Work and skating friends range across all the age groups.

[Dottleshead ★]

Well about 2 years ago when I went into work with those young liberal bastards, early 30s. Now I’m old and stodgy and hanging out with myself much more so I’d say I’m around an early 60s conservative bastard. 

[maddmaxx ★]

 

[Prophet Zacharia]

Socialize with people our own age and older, mostly. I’ll go to happy hour with coworkers twice a year or so, they’re a younger group. But my group of friends is 1-8 years older than me.

[maddmaxx ★]

How old are you folks.  That's my answer.

[BR46]

Younger.....who wants to hang out with old people 

[Dottleshead ★]

47 minutes ago, BR46 said:

Younger.....who wants to hang out with old people 

No getting around this when you hang out with yourself myself. 

[shootingstar]

When I was taking part-time art courses, I would be interacting with alot younger (not all) folks.  One instructor herself must have been in her late 20's /early 30's and she was very good.

Personally I seem to click best if much younger folks (meaning over 20+ years younger) who have travelled/are creative/artsy type, are naturally curious respectfully or have read alot. Or they bike.  However if they have no patience for slow poke, well ok, go ahead. Oh well. 

[BR46]

27 minutes ago, Dottles said:

No getting around this when you hang out with yourself myself. 

I don't know what happened but one day I woke up and I was old 

[Zealot]

I don’t socialize.

[shootingstar]

7 hours ago, Mr. Beanz said:

Work dudes are 30 years younger. Pretty much just work and not much socializing..

Bike friends are older. I'm 59, most our bike friends are 61-70. 

Interesting your cycling friends are all older.

So far I like my work colleagues distantly.  1 person is particularily picky which I personally annoying. (I can't even collaborate with this person on a project. She never listens to my suggestions. I've never worked with person like that previously.)   pre-covid I used to join several team members for lunch several times /wk. which for me, was totally different from previous dept. I used worked  where I went out for lunch with a few from different work areas several times / yr. Otherwise I ate lunch solo or surfed safe 'net sites during lunch.

Since covid, it's very superficial chatter which is fine and I've had lunch with 1 person who had rented a place temporarily nearby, while her home was being sold.  One day we might go for a bike spin.

For all the previous employers...which is 9 other different employers,  I dropped/never maintained any social connections from work.   Except for 1 person became a good close friend, mentor to me during the course of my career...but she died about 7 yrs. ago. We were good friends for 20 yrs. She must have been 21 yrs. older but it was her attitude of graciousness, curiosity and willingness to learn, try different things. 

I like friendships with some depth to keep it going. Not overly superficial....because in the end, we're not learning anything from each other.

[ChrisL]

Being the youngest sibling I often get asked really dumb questions by my clueless sisters at family gatherings like the one this past weekend (well one really clueless sister).  Are you still working security?  Yeah. A bit old to be a guard aren’t you, do you work at Home Depot?   Me thinking STFU & leave me alone. BTW this is “bitch sister”. Another sister, How old is Nikki now, 19-20?  Me saying, no she’s 29.  Me thinking: How freaking clueless are you,  she graduated college 6 years ago, has been married 4 years  & you were there for both and you know she has a one year old son. 19 really!?!?

As most are  retired or nearing retirement I also get asked if I’m retiring soon.  Uh yeah sure in 10 - 12 years… I know I’m the only sibling with gray hair (all of my sisters color their hair) but remember you are all much older than me…

Thats why I sat with my cousins kids & chatted them up…

[bikeman564™]

Socially, I was more comfortable with people older than me, sometimes a generation.  One of the local restaurants I hang oot at, there's a few people that do also, and they're my parents age. We sit at the bar, drink, eat, chat   Good times always.

[Ralphie ★]

1 hour ago, bikeman564™ said:

Socially, I was more comfortable with people older than me, sometimes a generation.  One of the local restaurants I hang oot at, there's a few people that do also, and they're my parents age. We sit at the bar, drink, eat, chat   Good times always.

[Longjohn ★]

12 hours ago, BR46 said:

I don't know what happened but one day I woke up and I was old 

That’s what happens when you retire.

[shootingstar]

10 hours ago, ChrisL said:

Being the youngest sibling I often get asked really dumb questions by my clueless sisters at family gatherings like the one this past weekend (well one really clueless sister).  Are you still working security?  Yeah. A bit old to be a guard aren’t you, do you work at Home Depot?   Me thinking STFU & leave me alone. BTW this is “bitch sister”. Another sister, How old is Nikki now, 19-20?  Me saying, no she’s 29.  Me thinking: How freaking clueless are you,  she graduated college 6 years ago, has been married 4 years  & you were there for both and you know she has a one year old son. 19 really!?!?

As most are  retired or nearing retirement I also get asked if I’m retiring soon.  Uh yeah sure in 10 - 12 years… I know I’m the only sibling with gray hair (all of my sisters color their hair) but remember you are all much older than me…

Thats why I sat with my cousins kids & chatted them up…

It sounds like your sisters having problems finding common ground for conversation...or vice versa.   

[ChrisL]

1 hour ago, shootingstar said:

It sounds like your sisters having problems finding common ground for conversation...or vice versa.   

Yeah for sure.  I can do without the snarkiness from my bitch sister but the others are just trying to make small talk. 

[Razors Edge ★]

I've got tons of "younger" folks in my life - siblings and the nieces & nephews as well as some co-workers.  It is funny though, on vacations, we seem to be gravitating towards the old-than-us crowd rather than the younger folks.  I think a lot revolves around not having kids to shepherd around, so the folks we are doing stuff with are empty-nesters and by default, older.  I think generally DINKs like us have much more disposable income, so we line up better with those folks who aren't stuck saving for college or braces or whatever it is they need to save for.