Why do you think the latter would make more sense? I don't stutter, but this is a question my husband had a real reckoning with himself over when he was in his early 20s, and he realized that of course the former made more sense. It's not like if you decide to isolate yourself you can do it completely. You'll still need to interact with people. But if you never put yourself out there to make friends and meet people, you will be losing out on all of the positive, good relationships you could be having. My husband's friends are some of my favorite people. I'm sure most people here are cool people with a lot to offer friends and partners, and it would be really sad (for them and for their potential friends/partners) if they just decided to never risk it because they were afraid they'd be judged. Some people are always going to judge, and nothing you do can stop that. Don't let them make decisions for you.