How Long Can You Go Without Human/Animal Contact?

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I'm taking the average value of 3 days.

Eh, that technically is human contact... even though it is via words.

As long as my food lasts. Almost none of my social drive is satisfied face-to-face.

Take away the internet and it depends on whether I have other stimulation. If not, then not long. I haven't tried going without all contact (well, I have tried, but I don't live alone, and my family doesn't seem to be able to do without me for very long no matter how much I wish they would), but I've gone without all meaningful and positive contact for days on end, which doesn't bother me at all, so I don't see why not being annoyed by certain people's mere presence should make me any happier.

I estimate that if I had stimulation of some sort (anything interesting is fine, but it always needs to be varied because my attention span is finite), and if my physical needs were met (not likely), and if I had my Bible, I could go indefinitely. I would definitely miss my friends after a couple of weeks, but in my experience, missing my friends is the same kind of thing as wanting to play a videogame I haven't played in a while or reread an old book I liked as a child.

The only exception to this is that if anything bad happened, I would want to talk to my best friend about it. We don't really share the good times with each other. Our pictures of success and happiness are very different. But our failures, our setbacks, our losses are similar. We're there for each other, and although I can get through anything without help from another human being (God is a different matter), I wouldn't necessarily want to.

But what would there be to get upset about anyway? No school (requires contact with teachers), no fights with anyone... there's PMS, illness, boredom and something getting broken. The first goes away on its own, the second is too vague a category to make blanket statements about, the third invalidates the experiment (if I have no stimulation, I will seek it, and people are a form of stimulation) and the fourth... well, yecch. I hate it when things break.

In sum, I could go indefinitely without people, almost without missing them at all if I had internet, but I like to have a small amount of interaction in my life. It's like chocolate. A lot is bad and will make you sick. And it comes in different varieties, some of which are better than others. And just the right amount will greatly enrich your life.

without speaking to people: maybe a week, although i would have to see some so i don't start feeling like no one else exists. i'd be taking walks, or going to a coffee shop. i need people around, peripherally. i just don't need to interact with them.

without pets: don't care to be without them. zero days. sometimes i miss them when they are in the other room, or sleeping.

without internet: one day, maybe two.

I don't know how long I could go. It seems to me my solitude is always interrupted before I tire of it.

I've often said I'd go to Mars, but only if they let me shut off the radio and relax on the way there

Been a bit over 3 months since I last saw a person face to face and that's mainly because I like it like that and plan it that way. Id happily make it longer but I have to go and make money when I can.


Peace ellomo


Ps.......I live in a very isolated place and have lots of pets. Keeping myself occupied is easy.

No people: the longer the better. My parents are always around but you can't really tell they're there. We kinda leave eachother alone. we all like when it's quiet.
No pets: I can't really avoid my cat

I can go on forever if necessary.

The only stimulation I need can come from 50 percent internet and 50 percent talk-radio.

Right now I live in a house that is secluded. In a few months I will have to go out of state for school and move into an apartment with a room mate. I am dreading it.

I would go crazy pretty quickly. Luckily my beautiful kitty cat keeps me company.

There is no limit to my lack of social interaction nor do I yearn for it. That being said, I will always require a pet (preferably cats). I will always want to be in a long-term, committed relationship (I consider this to be a different sort of interaction, though, not the common social type). The average social interaction-- who needs it? It stresses and bores me to death.

Wow, some of you guys are HARDCORE! I used to think I didn't need to talk to people or be around them much until I spent a week by myself in a big old house in winter. Couldn't afford to really go out and there was no one to speak to. I don't have any pets. I was going quite mad by the end of it.

A few days without any kind of social contact I suppose. (: It's hard to avoid human contact in my case.
Too many people to keep track of. x__x

Animal contact=as long as I want. I don't think I'd be missing out on much by not interacting with my pet dogs.
Human contact=not as long. I like the company of other people when I'm in the mood for it.