Hey dollars, it's been a while since I've come here and I gotta ask for some advice. If you had to choose, which do you think is more appropriate to use when interacting with others: act like your care for what others say when you really don't (nothing sarcastic, like a looking genuinely interested or whatever), or to not put on a mask and just act as you would which in my case would be uninterested but making things a bit less stressful in terms of not having to deal with acting like you care about everyone's conversations, but definitely causing more awkward interactions with people. I'm not saying I have issues or am a sociopath, cuz I'm not (never had a reason to check), but my life's been a mental hell because of this.

You don't need to put on a mask. If you aren't interested in their conversation, people can usually tell or you can excuse yourself, saying you have somewhere to be or something. Less stress for you and it's showing respect for the other person(s) actually. I would rather know you aren't interested than you pretending to care.

Now, there will be situations where you'll have no choice but to fake it (like work), but just in terms of normal social interactions there's no need to fake it.

And well, if the conversation is a one-on-one with your friend talking about some problems she/he has... sometimes you aren't in the mood for their rant, granted, but at least listen to them even if you don't care. That's one of those situations in my opinion.

And your lack of interest probably just means you don't have topics of discussion that interest you with those people :) I'm sort of the same, but in my case it's my lab colleagues so I have no choice when lunch time rolls around (I sometimes work through lunch just so I don't have to spend that 1.5 hours with them, or I eat my lunch beforehand haha...).

That's my two cents.

It depends. If it's a close friend, they'll probably understand if you tell them that you're not interested. Otherwise... well, as much as I'd like to tell you to be yourself because I don't think you should pretend, it's going to be harder in the long run I think. Relations with people are like plants: you have to water them or they'll die. If you act disinterested or like you don't care about what other people are saying, they will eventually stop confiding in you or even talking to you. It might not seem like a big deal now but if at some point in your life you encounter problems, you'll want to have people who'll listen to you and help you around yourself. It's all give and take and sometimes you'll have to waste your time and nerves on something that might be helpful in the long run.

I wouldn't recommend either of your options. Try to find some kind of a golden mean and act on a case by case basis. Pretend for some people and be yourself with those that you know won't mind it.

Well I'd say don't hide it. If you don't like the topic then tell your friend they'll understand. I bet they might be happy to know that they know you don't like talking about it. It's better then lying and they find out latter and they get upset.