proverb

" two's company, three's a crowd"

It's an old saying that is often applied to courting, is it?

I have always pondered it.

And much as I don't mean to be anti-social, I think it's really true! When interaction consists of two people, usually they can discuss ideas, work out things - happily, sadly, quietly, boisterously.

But add a third person and everything changes.

Suddenly, way more than before, people begin to weigh their responses now that two people are listening. They become self-conscious - either in an introverted or extroverted way.

There is a margin of safety, comfort, sure-footedness if it's just a face-to-face conversation. But add another face and the dynamics change. Significantly.

I think the author of the proverb was wise in the concept and wiser still in the choice of "crowd" rather than "group." Crowd suggests potential trouble, excess, lack of control.

Amazing the gulf between two and three.