This morning as my houemate left for work - he said 'what are you up to today?' I said 'reading'... he said 'anything else?' I said 'Urm...cleaning...urm...getting dressed'. I was told I hadn't seen anybody socially in a fortnight. And it is true. What with the British Library and writing a paper I had completely forgotten and even though I have social things lined up in a week or so... I can't believe I have let my social life atrophy and didn't even notice. * the shame* Anybody else?

how do you feel about your non-existing social life? Maybe it is alright for a while?Sometimes it is good to focus on one thing....

The thing that currently upsets me about my social life is that there is a bunch of 'friends'who call me up and talk half an hour about...themselves....and never ask how me and my PhD are doing...especially now when I am on my final stage of writing up pressed by expiring scholarship. All they talk are about themselves...

You are both in good company. My social life is next to zero and when I meet someone they either talk about themselves or, if they ask me a couple of questions pretending to sound interested, they soon add the answers themselves!
I have just come back from one of this fantastic research trips abroad and feel exhausted, but the majority of people outside the PGs circle think that when you research abroad you spend your time sitting under the sun with a big hat, sipping iced tea!
Three weeks in a dusty library and I hardly exchanged a word with anyone except for saying: 'thank you' and 'good bye', and I didn't even find any document that will grant me eternal glory!
I am quite happy with my own company, but of course I feel the need of some social life as well. Something more than the usual shallow conversations that I manage to make at the moment.
I feel very down about this all and I am struggling to keep the motivation going. You have all my sympathy!

I have 9 friends, who are really close:

chapter 1
chapter 2
chapter 3
chapter 4
chapter 5
chapter 6
chapter 7
chapter 8
chapter 9

However I have fallen out with no.5, but dating no.8

yet is the social isolation not partially self created? I mean do you need to put 24 hours a day in a PhD? My guess would be that if one has a good structure, say 8 hours a day I will work on it, 8 hours a day I will sleep, the other 8 hours I use for myself (e.g. meet other people, play sports, other job etc). Even stronger if you are able to socialise / do something else as well as your research it may well get better: I mean you probably will be more balanced, may have a fresher look and may not fall in "black social hole" after finishing your project.

That's funny. I realised exactly the same thing on saturday. Except my atrophy has only been a week. Am actually forcing myself to attend a departmental graduate conference today in order to socialize *shudder*

I think there are points in a PhD when time is of particular essence. I am in the process of writing my first paper to send to a journal - so my time than normal has been eaten up. The 8/8/8 hour split would be ideal Rick - but sometimes balancing PhD, paid work and social life does seem a lot. In any case - I have decided to consciously avoid this pit again by arranging to meet with friends for coffee in the week, and attend a part at the weekend. Phew, social exile over.

In my case it isn't people talking about themselves - the reverse. With some friends and the boyfriend I just can't stop talking about my PhD.

chrisrolinski - same here. I feel sorry for my poor hubby who must be bored to tears hearing about my chapter structure!

I pointedly try not to talk about it at all. I am quite mindful that outside of the academic community [even inside to an extent] people find it '...as about exciting as watching paint dry' [Present GF, 2007].