Alternate meaning of Saturn in the First House (Ascendant)?

I promised my friend I would work on his birth chart. I noticed he has Saturn in his first house which would usually indicate that someone takes things very seriously and sees the life as a series of obstacles and limitations... however, he is not like that at all. He's incredibly gregarious and is free-spirited to an actual fault. He is terrified of being in relationships and is very promiscuous. He calls himself a hippie.

So my question is... what on EARTH does Saturn being in his first house indicate?

His Saturn is Pisces and his rising is Aquarius. His first house starts midway through Aquarius so his Saturn is a different sign to his ascendant, despite being in the same house.

His Saturn is not heavily aspected at all. It squares his mercury and is opposite his Vertex, but that's about it.

His Saturn is not retrograde, but his Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and True Node are.