You know what I love about interacting with people who disagree with me? The inspiration that comes from hearing their viewpoints -- and the corresponding reevaluation and refining of my own views.

For example, I was recently asked whether it's sexist for women to expect to be entertained by men -- and it seemed like the asker was hoping for a definite yes. But the real​ answer... is maybe. 

Whether for your health, your fitness, or your looks, many of us want to want to work out... but we don't.

I have the opposite problem (err, "problem"): I have no interest or motivation to work out... yet I do it all the time.

We all want our kids to have happy, magical childhoods (I hope). 

And, due to changes in our society -- technology addiction, over-scheduled childhoods, and decreased participation in community activities, to name a few -- many adults feel like they don't have many friends in their neighborhood. In fact, one in four of us say we have "no close friends to talk to."

There's a simple way to address both of these issues.

Something magical happens in the summer, and I could talk all day about the amazing people I've met while traveling, or through summer internships, or even just enjoying the outdoors on a sunny day. 

Yet some of us have an easier time meeting new people than others, so I wanted to re-post some pointers I threw into a recent article. It was originally meant for daters, but really applies to everyone who wants to meet anyone. 

Are you really expressing yourself -- or are you just dressing a certain way? Are you really showing the world your true self -- or are you just putting on a performance for an audience?

At this point in time, it's pretty widely known that social media is horrible for us. It makes us sad. It makes us lonely. It makes us jealous. It makes us boring.  

Oh, and it gives us obesity, diabetes, and back and neck problems

Yet many of us spend more time than we wish to admit -- or even realize -- on social media. 

Why?

I pride myself on my ability to rock out -- just don't stand too close, or you might actually hear me play...

I pride myself on a lot of things. Too many things, probably. But given my recent posts about why women need to practice being rude (#BeRude) and how important it is for women to own their beauty, talents and accomplishments (#ChooseBeautiful)... it's totally okay, right? :P 

Last week, I published By 1979 Standards, Your 1st Grader is Physically and Emotionally Stunted. The TL;DR is that being able to walk 4-8 blocks alone -- to a friend's house, a playground, school, the store -- was once a prerequisite for 1st grade! Most 1st graders today have never done anything alone, ever. 

Even at freaking Chuck E. Cheese! Seriously. I've been to Chuck E. Cheese with a couple of different families. And each time, the parent hovered constantly over the child. 

They either inserted the tokens into the coin slots for their kid, or took the child's hand in theirs and guided it the whole time.

Do kids in your neighborhood play outside every day? Or do they, like the average American child, spend up to eight hours per day in front of a screen? (In other words... they sleep, eat, go to school, and not much else.) Using some technology is great -- it can be fun, relaxing and even educational. But, when used excessively, it kills creativity and curiosity. It prevents kids from developing crucial social and emotional intelligence. It makes them bored... and it makes them boring.

Moreover, unsupervised outdoor play is one of the most important ways in which kids develop social and emotional skills, like resilience (something most kids with helicopter don't learn these days, which is one of the reasons that something like 15% of kids are being medicated for depression, and some 33% have reported feeling "too depressed to function"), self-regulation (a skill that is highly correlated with good grades, higher test scores, higher lifetime earning potential, lower incarceration rates, etc. etc. etc.), emotional intelligence, charisma, negotiation and leadership skills, autonomy and independence, and more.

A few months ago, I was asked to answer this question on Quora: 

"If you were a 17-year-old out of high school, what would you do with your life?

I tested out of high school two years early, and lately I've just become so stuck and cynical of life. I don't know what I'm missing and why I'm stuck. I don't know where to move on to.

I've been going to talk therapy once a week (which barely helps)."

***

I'm not a licensed clinical psychologist or anything, but I do have a bachelor's and master's in psychology from Stanford. So here's my take on your situation, which is based on many assumptions that may or may not be true.

You are a high-achieving individual. You are talented and gifted, and you worked hard enough to test out of high school two years early. That's really great. Congratulations on your achievements.

BUT. There is a cost associated with your achievements.