a lot of things that other people seem to do for pleasure or relaxation, I find very exhausting. If I go to a party on the weekend, the effort of socializing uses up my willpower to study or exercise.
That sounds like a problem of introversion vs. extraversion to me, rather than one of willpower. An introvert “mentally recharges” by spending time alone, whereas an extrovert “mentally recharges” by spending time around other people. (The Wikipedia article on the subject addresses various hypotheses and evidence for the difference in mental function.)
This is a very good description. The problem comes in because more of my friends are extroverts than introverts. This may be because I can play extroverted for short periods of time, and that’s what most people see of me. Being my friends, they want to do things with me that they enjoy and that they assume I’ll enjoy too. It’s not that I don’t like parties, but I like them in the same way I like, say, hiking a difficult mountain trail. They can be fun and even exhilarating, but not relaxing. (In fact, probably less relaxing in a psychological sense than climbing a mountain trail, which implies solitude and time to think.)
That sounds like a problem of introversion vs. extraversion to me, rather than one of willpower. An introvert “mentally recharges” by spending time alone, whereas an extrovert “mentally recharges” by spending time around other people. (The Wikipedia article on the subject addresses various hypotheses and evidence for the difference in mental function.)
This is a very good description. The problem comes in because more of my friends are extroverts than introverts. This may be because I can play extroverted for short periods of time, and that’s what most people see of me. Being my friends, they want to do things with me that they enjoy and that they assume I’ll enjoy too. It’s not that I don’t like parties, but I like them in the same way I like, say, hiking a difficult mountain trail. They can be fun and even exhilarating, but not relaxing. (In fact, probably less relaxing in a psychological sense than climbing a mountain trail, which implies solitude and time to think.)