What I've learned from Netflix's The Circle

Spoiler Alert!  *this post contains a lot of spoilers*

What better show to watch during quarantine, than a show all about making connections while being stuck in an apartment by yourself?  Here's my top five surprising things that I learned while watching the first season of The Circle.

​1. Humans are not as shallow as you think. Several cast members went on the show thinking that the way to win was to be the most attractive.  While it didn't exactly hurt to have a good profile picture, there were several surprises with this theory.  For example, the first person to get kicked out was a model, and when Sean revealed her true self, the other players seemed to connect her even more.  Even Mercedes, aka Karyn, got mad love from Chris when he finally met the real player behind the screen. After all, it was her personality that made them click in the first place.

2. Be Yourself - Real relationships can only be made if you're really being yourself in them. Shubham aka "Shooby" set out to prove this, and I think he achieved it especially well.  In a lot of ways the "catfish" prevented themselves from making closer relationships by pretending to be someone they weren't.  People can feel when you have a wall up or are being ingenuine - even from behind a screen. 

3. Loyalty = friendship/time.  Those newbies didn't even stand a chance against the original players from round 1.  Bonds are formed over time and that's just human nature.  Are you new to an area or maybe just started a new job?  Keep this in mind and give it time to break into a new group of friends.  I always say it takes two years in a new city to make your closest friends.  Four cities and I finally have proof that the enemy is time...or lack thereof.

4. It is possible to cultivate and grow relationships without meeting face to face. This is possibly the best takeaway for all of us stuck at home right now.  Rumor has it - Shooby and Joey are still bff's.  How satisfying was that finale where they all got to meet?  

5. The key to building relationships is...reaching out. The next time your contemplating reaching out to that old friend or that new co-worker you think would be fun to hang out with... do it! The finalists in this show all had one thing in common, they reached out to each other.  The common theme among those voted off?  Other players felt they hadn't had a chance to "connect" yet.