Why do conversations feel draining even when I like the person?

Social interaction requires sustained attention, working memory, emotional processing, and sensory filtering. For ADHD brains, this can be cognitively expensive even when the conversation is enjoyable. Tracking details, staying present, and managing responses all happen at once. This leads to social fatigue rather than social dislike. Many adults feel confused or guilty about this exhaustion. Clinicians normalize it as cognitive load and encourage pacing, breaks, and self acceptance rather than forcing constant engagement.