End of Conversation

The list of sociological 'Rules' for interacting with other people could very well outstrip the number of words in the English language.

As someone who has arrived far past fashionably late to successful human interaction, I've been able to see accepted social norms from an outside perspective. I've found that behaving in a socially enjoyable way is not just a checklist, or habit, or a skill set, but a finely-tuned, well-trained frame of mind bordering on psychic interpretation.

For this subject specifically, there seems to be the most mysterious ability possessed by those who are at least moderately socially apt, and that is the ability to know when a conversation has reached a comfortable end.

The Feeling 

From my own experience, and from talking with others, knowing when a conversation is over manifests in the form of an unspoken physical feeling. Even more impressive, is that both conversational partners, if sensitive to it, feel it at exactly the same time.

The impression is as unique and indescribable as any other feeling, and it doesn't feel similar to any other feeling I've ever experienced. It seems to happen with very little warning, and as far as I can tell, all it does is let you know that the conversation is over.

It's strange to me that this feeling is so commonly accepted, that both parties never directly acknowledge it; rather, if one party wishes to continue conversing, it manifests in the form of suggesting a change of scenery, almost like putting another quarter in the social arcade machine.

The Have-Nots

From my experience, this feeling is so universally accepted that it comes as a surprise to others when someone has no idea that it exists. In truth, these people are actually a sizable statistic, and will readily suffer social stigma as a result. These people don't get tired of conversation, and when given the chance, will spend the better part of a day with someone.

The worst part is that this behavior will drive others away from them, and they'll likely not be told what they did to cause the resulting rift. With such limited exposure to others, it becomes fantastically difficult to gain these sorts of cues.

Exemptions

Where would a social rule be without exceptions? From my experience, this rule doesn't apply when it comes to children, couples, siblings, and most forms of chatting online.This can, in part, explain why someone could have great relationships in all of the above scenarios, and yet have no friends. Terrible, huh?