Thanks for the comments. It appears I am making this more complex than it needs to be - imagine that
I understand how the binary system applies so easily because when it comes to play activity, there's no middle ground - put your full effort into every play time or stay home.
I try to not judge a book by its cover, but that has to happen on some level when evaluating new acquaintenances. I extrapolate the potential for fun by their maturity, communication skills, kissing skills and my inexperienced assessment of the unlikliness of stupid drama.
I think we'll keep our ternary system for a while longer, because it seems to be working for us.