Have you noticed that American society can be very critical about people spending time alone? Let’s consider Friday night activities. The societal “coolness” factor of pursuits is directly proportional to the number of people involved:

1. coding at home alone
2. watching a movie at home with a friend
3. going out to the movies with 5 friends
4. going out to a house party with 50 attendees
5. going to a nightclub packed with 400 people dancing

Many people would rank these as ascending in coolness, i.e. descending in lameness.

– Niniane in Why Is Coolness Proportional To Number Of Participants