I read an article on the Psychology Today blogs a few days ago which discussed the "energy equation" and what it means for introverts and extroverts. People give a certain amount of energy to social interactions, and they derive energy from those interactions in return. An extroverted person is one who is satisfied by their return: their energy equation is more or less in balance. An introverted person has an imbalanced energy equation: he or she does not receive a good "return" on his or her energy "investment."
Think I may have mixed my metaphors there: equations and investments. Oh well.
When I was in college, I was a member of a sorority. Thus, I was surrounded by women who in general derive a lot of benefit from constant interaction with large groups. I "missed out" on a lot of the social aspects of sorority life because of my preference for lots of time alone. There were simply many times when I knew that if I forced myself to attend a massive frat party or the like, I would be irritated and depressed within half an hour of my arrival, and would either be pissy all night, or get so drunk I would do something ridiculous as compensation for my discomfort.
