At some point drama stops being entertainment and starts being noise. That’s maturity pulling into the driveway.

There is a point where the pull of other people’s conflicts stops being interesting and starts being tiring. It is not that you became superior to it. Your attention simply got more expensive, and the same stories that used to fill an evening now feel like a cost you notice paying.

When you catch yourself pulled into something that has nothing to do with you, notice how you feel an hour later rather than in the moment. That is the honest measure. Following it will quietly rearrange who you spend your time with.