There are days when you just don’t feel like spending time with people, not to mention going out. That’s what FOGO, or ‘Fear Of Going Out’, portrays through the Tweets they share on their Instagram account. Started back in 2017, it currently has 212k followers and nearly 7,900 posts, which reveal people’s true feelings about certain social situations.

Contrary to the description (that reads “Memes for the antisocial you”), they don’t depict actual antisocial behavior, which is generally defined as behavior that violates the basic rights of other people. It’s usually more related to strong unwillingness to go out or spend time communicating with others. And most internet users know that there are millions of Tweets and memes out there that describe the feeling better than anything else could—these 40 memes introverts might relate to, for example.

Actual antisocial behavior is a key symptom of several debilitating psychiatric disorders, such as oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder (CD) in children or antisocial personality disorder when it comes to adults. 

However, the Tweets shared by FOGO typically depict people who are simply more of an introvert than a social butterfly rather than anything resembling actual antisocial behavior. For instance, those who avoid phone calls instead of answering them or choose to stay in over partying on a Friday night, just to name a couple examples.

Being an introvert does not equal avoiding any form of socializing at any cost. However, some situations shared by FOGO are directly aimed at or relate to introverts; and for a reason. According to Healthline, introverted people enjoy spending time alone and do better in quiet environments, which sounds like something a person with a ‘fear of going out’ would choose.

Healthline pointed out that for introverts, the idea of a peaceful period of solitude evokes feelings of relief and peace rather than disappointment (which is often the case to their extroverted counterparts). It’s because introverted people need more time to recharge their social battery. And that’s why it’s important to remember that introverts don’t hate socializing, it’s just that they need more time to balance everything out after they do.

Quite a few of these Tweets cover the matter of answering phone calls, which, let’s be honest, not a lot of people enjoy. That is behavior pretty typical to introverted people, who, according to Healthline, usually choose writing over talking. Whether it’s related to waiting for the phone to stop ringing (so you can check the number online to see who was calling instead of answering it) or preferring texts over calls, those less inclined to socialize live will most likely not answer your call.

Research shows that millennials are one of the groups that despise calls the most—75% of them believe they’re time-consuming, while over 80% admit to having apprehension anxiety before making the call.

Another prevailing example on the list is prioritizing quality alone time over partying (in the words of one of the Tweets, “shout out to the first person to leave the social event, who ‘breaks the seal’ for the rest of the guests to head out, too”). That can be appealing to extroverts as well, at times. There are moments we all need a break from the rest of the world, to spend some time surrounded by nature, the walls of an empty room, a blanket or whatever it is that helps you unwind.

Verywell Mind emphasized that alone time is important for our mental health. The time spent with yourself allows you to escape the social pressures for a moment and delve deeper into your own emotions. That often results in improved personal exploration, increased creativity, and more social energy.

Forbes pointed out that some of the benefits that alone time brings have been scientifically proven. It stated that being on your own can increase empathy and productivity, as well as build mental strength and creativity. In addition to that, it is believed to reduce behavior-related problems in kids.

According to Verywell Mind, despite being beneficial, alone time can be challenging as well. Some people might simply not be accustomed to spending time on their own, while others even dislike it—being alone with your thoughts can lead to having to focus on distressing or painful things. There’s also social stigma that often accompanies people’s decision to spend time in solitude, which doesn’t exactly encourage them to do that more often.

Pew Research Center revealed that elderly people are the ones who spend the most time alone. Americans over the age of 60 spend roughly 7 hours of their time awake on their own. People in their 40s and 50s have roughly 4 hours 45 minutes, while those under 40 have 3.5 hours.

Whether the amount of time spent alone is related to one’s fear of going out or not, it might be a good idea to skip a social gathering every once in a while and opt for a relaxing night at home instead. If these pictures didn’t convince you to do that, browse our previous editions covering FOGO here or here.