Stepping outside a party for five minutes alone isn’t antisocial. It’s how some people stay at the party.

A short break is often the reason somebody is still there at midnight. For a lot of people noise drains at a steady rate, and five minutes on the steps resets enough to go back in. Without the break, the only other option is leaving entirely, which is what looks antisocial from outside.

Take the step outside before you need it rather than after you are already fraying. Nobody notices a five-minute absence, and nobody requires an explanation for one. Going back in afterwards beats running out of road at ten.