When asked about friends/social life, what do you say?

I'm mostly talking about when people you don't know well ask you out of polite interest/making small talk, not so much something like your mother asking what you got up to last week. For instance, I'm in college, and I tend to get classmates asking me what I'm doing this weekend (not because they actually are interested or because they want to see if I'm free to do something with them or any of those things, just as a more interesting conversation point than the weather). I also find that when I go on job interviews, the interviewer always asks me what I like to do for fun on weekends. And sometimes people end up asking indirect sorts of questions, like asking what sorts of things you got your friends for Christmas.

Obviously, these people are assuming that I lead a normal sort of life...that I actually go places other than the grocery store on weekends, that I actually have friends to exchange Christmas gifts with, and so on.

That's not my situation and it's not the situation of most people here, I would imagine. And I really don't know what to say. I don't like the idea of lying and I can't very well lie to people I go to school with and make up imaginary friends and such. I could be honest and say that I didn't go anywhere last weekend but I wish that I did, but that makes people cry "emo!" "self-pity!" "whiner!", so I don't like to say that either. I would like to say that it's none of their damn business, but that comes off as a bit rude.

So I have taken to stating things very factually, with as little emotion as possible, and with the impression that I think everything I do and say is perfectly ordinary and no one else's lives are different. If you ask me what I did last weekend, I will tell you that I went to the grocery store on Saturday afternoon, then I came home and made brownies to snack on and chicken for dinner, then I spent the evening reading a book, and on Sunday I slept quite late and spent the rest of the day doing homework. If you ask me what I got my friends for Christmas, I say, "Well I only have one friend but I got her..." If people seem surprised by these answers, I act politely confused as to why they should be surprised.

If people I know well ask me why I do this, I tell them that since every time I act like this is not normal, I am accused of "whining", I am left to assume that it really is perfectly normal. I think they have gotten used to it by now, but I still wonder what people who don't know me think. I can't particularly think of any better alternatives, though.

I'm probably the only weirdo that reacts in that specific way, and I have been wondering how others in similar situations react. How do you answer the dreaded weekend activity question, and others?

No, I'm the same. I used to lie about the state of my social life, or tell the truth in a self deprecating manner, but not anymore. I got tired of it eventually. I'd say I've made great progress in the sense that I'm completely comfortable with the way I live my life and no longer care what other people think about it. I just tell it like it is, and if someone responds negatively, I try to explain and defend myself in a non-confrontational manner. I'm really sick of explaining myself to people, but it's better than lying.

Every now and again I do get depressed about the state of my social life, not really because I want one, but because I'm so inexperienced with people and it makes life harder than it needs to be. Or maybe I'm just uncomfortable with not living up to societal expetations. Ideally, someday I will be completely able to stop comparing myself to others and judging my worth that way. I don't complain to anyone, because this is the way I'm choosing to be. And 99% of the time, I'm cognizant that I'm making the right choice.

I'm the same as well, I used to lie or exxagerate the truth when people asked me what I did on the weekend, but I also don't like lying, and I often change my body language and tone of voice when I am lying about it, so the other person might know I'm lying too. I've moved about 120km from the city which I've lived all my life about 18 months ago, and I haven't made any friends until recently.

I'm more comfortable about telling people the truth as well now. About 6 months ago I started a new job, and a girl about my age started the same day, which I think made me a bit more comfortable to start with. When we would ask each other what we did on the weekend, I would be honest and say not much, went on the net for a bit, read a book, watched TV, messed around with my cars etc etc, and she would say similar things. After a while, we both got the courage up to ask if the other person wanted to hang out, go to the pub or something on the weekend. 6 months later, we aren't working together now, but we see each other every weekend, and I've even managed to make friends with some of the other people she works with now, which is great.

I know not everyone is like that, but you certainly aren't the only person, but I guess it just shows there are others who are the same.

Sorry if this is a bit hard to read, I couldn't structure this post as good as I could have, and I'm trying hard not to go back and change the post around 50 times before I submit it lol

I rarely am ever asked this question, so whenever asked I'll either jsut respond 'Oh, nothing in particular.' If they have to be a jackass about it and inquire further; I'll them it's not a big deal and that I really don't do anything on the weekend at all. Eventually they'll just get bored of arguing and leave me alone. I don't care enough to lie about things that miniscule.

whenever asked I'll either just respond 'Oh, nothing in particular.'

That's exactly what I do. I don't have the energy to make up a whole lie, and if it's someone that I might care about or like I would feel slightly guilty if I lied. Instead I revert the conversation in their direction. After all I'm sure whatever they did is probably going to be more interesting than anything I did.
"Oh nothing interesting, how about you? Did you go anywhere?"
Or something along those lines. Ofcourse, sometimes I worry that some people might get annoyed by that answer. I'm not contributing in any way, and ultimately I feel like I'm being as boring and dull as I would if I did tell them what to do.
It's not like I feel (too) bad about the things that I do. I do enjoy playing games, reading books, watching TV and movies... generally solitary activities. But I can't help but feel bad when stating these things to other people, because that is sterotypically something a 'loner' would do.

Either way, I will be labeled, so the best thing is to distract the other person from me and my life, and asking them about theirs. Besides I like to listen to other people's more interesting lives, and generally people like to talk about themselves (and I don't necessarily mean that in a negative way )

"Not much, how about you?" is my usual answer too.
Sometimes i'll say : "Oh, you know...drinks/women/partying..all the usuall stuff" in a joking manner.

who would bother asking?

I rarely get asked this anymore. I think I was asked a little more frequently when I started going to college but everyone has pretty much assumed I hate people and am a total loner so no one every sits by me or asks me questions anymore.

I never liked to lie either, it's too much of a hassle on top of other things and I really don't feel like I have to make up anything even if it does sound boring. My typical response was "Not much, nothing, nothing really, etc..." Then I realized to keep a conversation going I had to ask questions occasionally, so now sometimes I will say, "Not much, did you do anything?" But I rarely like to hear people talk about themselves directly to me but I think it makes them comfortable if they can talk about something. People like to obnoxiously ramble about all the worthelss information in their lives. I guess it doesn't help that I really don't like conversation that much, and for me to enjoy it at all I have to know the person very well so that kills all my potential casual social interactions.

PBNJ wrote: so whenever asked I'll either jsut respond 'Oh, nothing in particular.'

Same here too. This question tends to always come from older people. I guess they assume since I'm young I must do really exciting things during weekends. When I answer nothing they must think I must be ashamed of telling it because it's too spicy not because it's too lame. At least if I went on a motorbike ride during the weekend, I actually have something to say about the places I visited but it only works during the 2-3 summer months...

I usually figure the reason most people ask what I did during the weekend is because they did something and want to tell me about it, so I just quickly say something like "not much" then turn the conversation around and ask them.