5 ms·

I just run outside these days but I thought that starting conversations at gyms was frowned upon? Even if it wasn't, most people are wearing headphones. Sustai

• TeMPOraL 3y ago
  Yup. Gyms are kind of inverse of pubs, in this way and many more. For example, the alcohol, as brought into spotlight by 'Animats. It's rather well-known (if a little tough to admit for many people) that alcohol is the "social lubricant". The way it lowers inhibitions and "screens off" pent-up stress, helps people make connections, build and nurture friendships. It's not the only way to do this, but it's a way that works, and scales well among and across social strata - a fact that's been recognized since time immemorial, and the millennia of culture built around drinking only reinforce its bonding effects.
• throwaway22032 3y ago
  It kind of depends. Serious iron gyms are usually a lot more chatty than commercial / for everyone gyms. None of them are like the pub though, the pub has no activity other than socialising, it's the entire point.