Yup. That's pretty much an exact description of me.

I do just fine in social circumstances (at least, it seems so to me), but for any substantial time in contact with others, I find I need much more time alone to recover from it.

I'm well past being worried about it (it bothered me some when I was younger, but I soon decided it wasn't worth getting all worked up about), but I still know some people who think that it's a sign of some nefarious condition, and with proper *treatment*, I'd be as social as they are (I tend to avoid these people).

One of the really hilarious things is to see the look on some peoples faces when I tell them that I LIKE being alone from time to time. You'd think I landed in their kitchen in a flying saucer.

I go to a dinner once a month that some people would give an arm to get into. Gregg, on the other hand, would chew off his arm to avoid going. There's nothing wrong with him. He's just not into chitchat. It's interesting how people who are think there's something wrong with people who aren't. Again, just a different orientation.

I came up with a similar formula (recharge time)years ago but I've often had to use some subterfuge to actually implement it. I've found that if I say anything that sounds like "I just need some time alone" certain people will interpret that as "I'm feeling blue and I need YOU to come cheer me up."
It can be exasperating at times when you've arranged your social schedule to allow for your recharge time and well meaning people try to "rescue" you from whatever it is you've given as your reason for bowing out.
I doubt widespread thinking about what introverts really are is ever going to change but it is important that introverts themselves realize that introversion is not a disorder by any stretch.

Wow...false dichotomy much?

I am both energized by people and like time to myself. I like being around people and I like being alone...I don't particularly cotton to being told that I "wilt or fade" because I am energized by people.

How about this?: people are more complex than Rauch thinks, and any form of pigeonholing or stereotyping is just pandering to one group or the other. Rauch is an introvert? He'll bash on extroverts.

*Yawn*

Wake me when someone says something substantial. This just looks like someone trying to puff up his "tribe" at the expense of others.

There are two kinds of people in this world: the ones who classify things and the ones who don't.

Seriously, labels can be a problem when they are assumed to be entirely descriptive; when an object or person or phenomenon is assumed to be no more than an instance of the "type" it represents; "objectivist" for example. But labels can be a tool of learning and a means to better understanding.

I apparently have a disease, where I dislike the continuous company of people who cannot think.

Sadly, it is my experience that few people think deeply about any subject at all. Their repetition of the assorted lies and superstitions they hold dear becomes tiresome.

I have had the great pleasure of noting that at least three actors are keen students of human nature: Ron Glass, Peter Jurasik, Stephen Furst. I was delighted to find that beyond the immediate demands of their profession, they've paid attention to the issues that affect people, too, beyond the next paycheck or TV show. It makes me think we need another actor President, provided we get a person who is not so wrapped up in themselves as to forget the real world.

Ayn_: Go away!

This is a great article. Thankfully I married someone who's pretty much the same way, so I never had to explain it much.

And Rod, I remember the time I went camping by myself one Memorial Day weekend. Man did that ever exceed the bandwidth of my co-workers!

Word! I'm usually come out as an INTJ on Myers-Briggs tests, so I guess you're preaching to the choir with me.

Also, I swear, one of these years I'm going to learn to preview. "I'm" = "I" above.

Crid: Um.......no.

As if Team Red/Team Blue was not enough, now we need Team Extro/Team Intro too?

Sadly, it is my experience that few people think deeply about any subject at all.

Oh, yes, the masses are such dolts, dah-link...however do you survive in a world full of proles?

Shorter Ayn:

You proles aren't discussing anything I find interesting, so I shall taunt you. Now talk about something meaningful, or I shall taunt you a second time.

Brian - I confess to being perplexed; I am mocking the attitude that some folks seem to hold here that only they and their friends have something interesting to say.

CHAT is a four letter word!

I have found people's assumptions about the introverted rather amusing. I am a pretty extreme introvert. I find crowds virtually intolerable most of the time, requiring very small doses. I have found that when I need to extricate from a situation, I just have to go. This occasionally comes across as exceptionally rude, but the alternative is far worse. At that point I actually do become rude.

I flat out refuse to spend any time with people that feel compelled to "save" me from my alone time. It was bad enough before I became a parent, now I have to put a very special premium on my self care - because kids don't really care what you need, theirs are always the priority.

I have been known to leave gatherings, wherever they might be, without so much as a "see ya later." On one occasion in particular, one of my "friends" followed me out and asked what was wrong, attempting to accompany me and ensure that I was all right. It took a "just fuck off, all right?" to get them to leave me alone. He was horribly offended and responded to my email of apology and explanation, by telling me what a horrible, nasty asshole I am. I have since concluded that when people do this, they are not trying to help me, they are simply fulfilling their own issues with loneliness.

As for the whole labeling discussion. Labels are not definitive, nor are they absolute. What they do provide, is the ability to provide considerations for those who fit under certain labels. Introvert and extrovert labels, being inherently ambiguous are excellent examples. Does my labeling myself an introvert tell you anything absolute about me? No, what it does is tell you that I have certain attitudes and feelings about too many people, too much stimulation. It can give you something of an expectation about how I am going to deal with certain situations.

Outside of a conversation like this one, I am unlikely to tell someone that I am an introvert, unless we are in or going to be in a situation in which it is relevant. Rather than going through a long explanation about how I deal with crowds, I can simply say that I am an introvert so I may have to leave rather abruptly. Labels in this context are just a way to simplify conversations. Some labels are just more definitive than others. This doesn't mean that some are more legitimate than others, it just means that some are more concise than others, more relevant than others.

Sort of with Ayn on this one.

I'm a natural introvert. But I learned a long time ago that social and economic success requires etroverted behavior. I'm sure this is a lesson most learn in any given high school experience - nobody fucks or pays somebody who spends all their time alone reading.

So you learn to go outside, meet people, date, do something productive, etc. There are probably extremes in the population at each end for whom the pro-introvert literature is either liberating and groundbreaking news or a horrific alternative lifestyle. For the rest of the well-adjusted, not much to see here.

Ayn -

Oh, yes, the masses are such dolts, dah-link...however do you survive in a world full of proles?

Honestly, they are. Are you going to say with a straight face that the thronging masses are all that bright? Keeping in mind that between forty and fifty percent of the population in the U.S. believes the world as we know it was poofed into existence. Keeping in mind that an outright majority believe that we should teach some form of creationism along side evolution, in science classes. Keeping in mind that anti-intellectualism is a pervasive force in U.S. culture and politics.

I am mocking the attitude that some folks seem to hold here that only they and their friends have something interesting to say.

If I thought that others had something interesting to say, they would probably be my friends too. It is pretty basic that people spend time with people they share interests with. I'm not a sports person. If the conversation turns to sports, I tune out and usually leave. At that point, no one talking has anything of interest to say, at least to me. Likewise, when I get into a discussion about the Roman empire, even many of my friends tend to tune out, because I am not saying anything of interest to them.

If the only conversation that comes out of a person, is detailing subjects that I haven't the least bit of interest in, they are unlikely to become my friend.

> I confess to being perplexed;

First of all, never confess! It shows the rot of feebleness and cowardice in the pit of your soul!

Secondly, it breaks our heart to think we're perplexing you! You'd best be on your way!

Toodles!

Besides, we already covered this without having to wipe your nose.

have been known to leave gatherings, wherever they might be, without so much as a "see ya later." On one occasion in particular, one of my "friends" followed me out and asked what was wrong...It took a "just fuck off, all right?" to get them to leave me alone

Wow...you sulk off and someone wants to make sure you're OK, and you tell them to "fuck off"?

I can't believe he thought you were an asshole. That's astonishing.

Oh, I get it, he was probably a creationist and therefore, by default, a member of the dirty dirty hoi polloi with nothing of value to add to your life.

But, there are people who generally thrive on not being with people -- or not being with people much -- and when they are with people, it's for work or other obligation, or they have a very thin circle of friends (if a circle at all).

I also see that some people treat people like this as if there's something wrong with them -- simply because they don't have a more sociable orientation.

Yes, there are people -- and I am one of them -- who enjoy being alone and being with people. But, that's not seen as an issue. Being not a people person often is.

To deny this seems silly.

Wow...you sulk off and someone wants to make sure you're OK, and you tell them to "fuck off"?

No asshole, I get the fuck out of situations that are over stimulating me when I need to. I am bipolar with severe ADHD. When I need to go I need to go and I don't need anyone harassing me about it. I know what my limitations are. The person in question was aware of them and presumed that he knew better than I, what I might need. The reason that I don't say anything when I leave, is because even that much of a pause can create a bad situation. Rather than having a complete meltdown in public, I choose to extricate myself. I expect people to respect my choices, I certainly respect the choices of others.

Oh, I get it, he was probably a creationist and therefore, by default, a member of the dirty dirty hoi polloi with nothing of value to add to your life.

Oddly enough, I have several friends who are creationists. We just find other common ground. I also have friends who are extremely conservative, we just find other common ground. But when the common ground does not exist, why should I pretend that someone is in the least bit interesting? And why should I pretend that the masses are chock full of intellectual prowess, when the evidence contradicts this?

Oh, I get it, he was probably a creationist and therefore, by default, a member of the dirty dirty hoi polloi with nothing of value to add to your life.

A book that may help.

"...however do you survive in a world full of proles?"

I seek out people who do make a habit of thinking. Duh.

I hope that doesn't leave you out...

Lies and superstition abound. When someone declares their pet mistake to be the Truth™, that's my sign to look around and find out whether I need to confront the idiocy or seek other company. The triggers can be a) the Great Flood, b) loud pipes save lives / don't use the front brake / etc., 3) guns are evil, 4) corporations pay taxes...

...and so forth. The last case was really obscure: in a class about a waste seperation method, a guy professed to tell me that KVAR did nothing when one of seven motors in parallel on the output of the same VFD was slowed by increasing its load. He claimed to have professional electrical experience, even though the mistake is on par with mistaking AC from DC. The proof would have shamed him in front of the class, so I left.

ENFP here.

My life in hi-tech has gotten so much better since I quit buying into the "work a little harder to get an answer out of me" passive-agressive introverted engineering types.

Sorry, but I just don't have the time.

"'work a little harder to get an answer out of me' passive-agressive introverted engineering types."

I know the kind you are talking about and I've certainly had to deal with them on many occasions, but they're really only a subset of the introverts. Most introverts are fine if you get them on a topic where they have expertise.

The insecure kingdom-builder types on the other hand aggravate me to no end. Why anyone hires those assholes is a mystery to me.

My boyfriend, at least, is fine if you get him on a topic where he has interest. Otherwise, I think he looks like he's trying to be mistaken for a tree or a large, lifelike statue.

"ENFP here...passive-agressive introverted engineering types...just don't have the time."

INTP at my last blood test. But it's all relative. I have worked in both sales and tech. Amongst the back-slapping "how the hell ya' doin'" types, my boss was skeptical if I'd succeed due to my "social anxiety." The clients figured out I was the one who'd actually read their requests, returned calls with meaningful information etc. I moved product, we got along fine.

Amongst the techs, I was the one who would talk to the dept. reps rather than just push my glasses up on my nose, say "hmmm, it shouldn't do that" and wander away.

"It took a "just fuck off, all right?" to get them to leave me alone...I find crowds virtually intolerable "

Our language needs an expression that means: "please fuck off just a little."

And about crowds, sometimes, the fact that nobody expects you to interact in a really massive crowd makes them kind of cool but no accounting for taste.

"nobody fucks or pays somebody who spends all their time alone reading."

But that's not what an introvert is. You could also say nobody fucks/pays someone who chats up the whole planet but never follows through on anything.

"we already covered this..."
Feb '07?! Dude, get more fiber.

Well, "Excuse me, I have to leave now" has always worked for me.

> Dude, get more fiber

I'm well-braced for insults and dickless snark, but I can't imagine what wind you had blowing behind that one. Again, the article was a mediocre filler piece from 2003...

DuWayne - All that mess about your issues would have provided some much-needed context to WHY someone, from the outside, may think you act like an asshole. I get it, your friend knew, but nobody here (like *ahem*, me for example) knew. If you're expecting an apology, don't wait. Yeah, and calling the masses dumb because of their creationist beliefs and then saying that you're friends with plenty of creationists is talking out of both sides of your mouth.

martin - I think it's great you follow through, but being on "Team Intro" isn't what makes you do that. Akin to that fact that folks on "Team Extro" are not all back-slapping airheads.

I am with Snakeman on this—I am a natural introvert who has learned to appear an extrovert as needed (and at times is quite fatiguing). Other than radiology or pathology, you can’t really do well as a doc unless one is good at the social graces (BTW I don’t need to hear about personal experience with the exceptions to the rule). Or, as Snakeman put most aptly, no one fucks or pays someone who spends all their time alone. While I have a passion for discussion, there is little love for small talk. So I learned to gracefully extricate myself from those awkward social events in order to get back home and enjoy reading a book (or a blog). As the main theme of the article points out (despite the hijacked thread), it is not a disorder to be introverted.

Gary Taubes on fiber via Gina Kolata:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/books/review/Kolata-t.html?pagewanted=print

(Disclosure: At one point he approvingly cites my articles on the lack of evidence that a high-fiber diet protects against colon cancer.)

yea, but I'll bet there are plenty of articles that prove beyond a doubt that fiber gives you exceptionaly together craps.

Taubes book, Good Calories, Bad Calories, is excellent at showing where science is really "science."

Amy
Otherwise, I think he looks like he's trying to be mistaken for a tree or a large, lifelike statue.

Do his eyes glaze over? I get that way too. Just sitting there, trying desperately not to appear rude, wondering how the fuck I can get away. The worse is when I'm with family and really can't get away - I suspect that this is partlyb why I still smoke. Built in excuse to get away for a few minutes at least.

Martin -
Our language needs an expression that means: "please fuck off just a little."

Yes, yes it does.

snakeman -
nobody fucks or pays somebody who spends all their time alone reading.

Sorry I missed that. Actually, I got plenty of the sex for years, in spite of spending much of my time reading. I also wrote music and sang in a band. Didn't get paid much, but then I was mostly doing drugs, when I wasn't reading fucking or playing music - often times while I was doing any of those things. Now I spend a lot of time reading, a lot of time raising my kid and make a very reasonable income, self-employed as a contractor and picking up on my income from writing music.

In spite of being a rather extreme introvert, I am really good with people. Indeed, I am quite the people person, given the right topics. If the topic is what ails your house, I'm your man (likewise with fixing it and fixing it right). There are a host of topics that I can soar with, from pshych to the Roman empire. As a insomniac, I read, I read a lot. Reading is, in fact, what has made me a people person. The problem and what makes me an introvert, is my absolute inability to deal with groups of people. One is great, two is usually manageable. Much more than that and I start to have trouble. If there is no common ground to be had, I can't even handle the one and don't even try.

I get it, your friend knew, but nobody here (like *ahem*, me for example) knew.

I explained that I am an extrovert. I also explained that I don't handle crowds well. If you have a friend who says that much to you, such behavior shouldn't be unexpected. A friend feels the need to leave and asks you to just let him be, you should let him be. I said it got to the point where I had to swear at him, implying that I had already tried being polite about it.

If you're expecting an apology, don't wait.

Considering I called you the asshole I think you are, I didn't expect one.

Yeah, and calling the masses dumb because of their creationist beliefs and then saying that you're friends with plenty of creationists is talking out of both sides of your mouth.

You don't have any friends whom you think are rather ignorant? Seriously? I am all about the common ground. I also have to live in a world full of ignorant and often very stupid people. I have to interact with such people on a daily basis - I suspect that I might be now. I do not judge people entirely by their intelligence and understanding of the nature of the world around them. Nor do I generally judge them on their superstitious beliefs, unless they feel the need to push them on others, especially through legislation.

I judge people by how they treat others. I judge people by how they treat me. And I judge them based on whether we have common ground or not. I also throw religion and intellect into the mix, but as less important factors in determining whether or not I have an interest in spending time with them. Interpersonal interactions are not nearly as simple as you seem to make them. I share common ground with people with whom I am in diametric opposition on some fundamental issues. Depending on the common ground, some of those people are my friends. Such is life.

Amy -
(Disclosure: At one point he approvingly cites my articles on the lack of evidence that a high-fiber diet protects against colon cancer.)

Yeah, but there is plenty of anecdotal "evidence" that it makes me regular and that makes it worth it to me.

"INTP at my last blood test."

Me too. I'm also assertive, an award-winning public speaker, and in a past life made a living as a professional political organizer. But the INTP profile fits perfectly.

One therapist (not one of mine) clarified the distinction for me when she explained that the Intro-/ Extrovert distinction is about how you "recharge your battery."

I can organize a multitude of people to change a policy, but when we have eighty people at our 1,600 sq. ft. house for a party (my sweetie's the extrovert), I'm most comfortable moving things along/ coordinating from our small kitchen - very few people fit into it at a time, and as with political organizing they're all there to get something done ("Where do you keep the serving spoons, and how is school coming along?" etc.), so I can handle the crowd, I know what the hell to talk about, and the people who know me well enough to ask me personal questions are people about whom I know enough about to ask them personal questions to which I truly want to know the answer. That was an unforgivably long sentence.

My frustration is, how do I break a crowd into bite-sized pieces, when I'm not there to put them to work? And when people start talking, how do I redirect the conversation away from gossip/ television/ other things I don't care about, in a way that changes the conversation rather than alienates and shuts up the person doing the talking? I have no patience; apparently I can't fake interest.

I have no patience; apparently I can't fake interest.

Gregg is like this, too. I like that. He'll exert himself to be nice to people, but...well...a guy once came up to me at a book party, all exasperated. He's not a friend, but somebody I know from around LA. He huffed, "Where did you meet your boyfriend?"

Me: "The Apple computer store at the Grove."

GUY: "Why wouldn't he tell me that."

I started to laugh. "I don't know. It's not a big secret or anything."

But the truth (and why I was laughing) is, Gregg doesn't suffer assholes, not for a second. And again, I like that about him.

Thank you, Jonathan Rauch! That is definitely my attitude. I have always preferred about a half dozen close friends to a large circle of aquaintances and have maintained more or less that number my whole life. I do not want to be on the go endlessly. A night out now and then, fine. Go, go, go! Shudder at the thought. Hanging with a friend or two, cool. Parties -- an ordeal that occasionally have to be endured. I do joke about being a misanthrope but I'm really not and my friends simply roll their eyes, smile and say yeah right when I make such silly remarks. I love living alone. I hate the attitude that there's something wrong with you if you're not a social butterfly. What the hell's wrong with being a loner? Hell, we could use more independent people and less people expecting others to bail them out on mortgages and health insurance while they live extravagantly. So, yes, again, thank you Jonathan Rauch for having to balls to say there's nothing wrong with that.

I don't know, Martin. I spend the bulk of my time alone reading (been a bookworm all my life) and one of my nearest and dearest friends spends her life on mindless empty chatter (and is extremely religious; sometimes I wonder why we're such good friends but it really is other things we have in common and even more basic, she's funny and I love to laugh). I live on planet go away and she lives on planet look at me, look at me but we're great friends and we met on my last job. I no longer work there because I got a promotion. She's going after one. The one with her nose stuck perpetually in a book promoted first; the great sales lady is still looking. But we're both gainfully employed and have been since our teens.

Oh, and we both have children and grandchildren so the other also applies. In fact, since my daughter and her older son were both born in 1983, we do a lot of joking about what the hell is wrong with kids born that year. (No, offence to anyone that was; we're joking.)

[T}hank you Jonathan Rauch for having to balls to say there's nothing wrong with that.

*laughter*...yeah, it takes a lot of balls and bravery to puff up people with whom you identify at the expense of people you perceive as "opposed" to you.

Look at some of the smear-jobs some of you are perpetuating against those nasty ol' "extroverts": they don't follow through, they're financially unstable, they fake interest and do nothing but back-slap and engage in idle chatter.

Funny, isn't it? "Intros" are all in a tizzy about being stereotyped as loners and weirdos, and they turn around and stereotype "Extros" as unstable, unreliable and dependent on people.

Sickening, really. I thought smart people knew better than to fight stereotypes with stereotypes.

I thought smart people knew better than to fight stereotypes with stereotypes.

Well, now, obviously they can't all be as smart as you. o_O

Abd you wonder why some here think the masses are morons Ayn?

Example 1. Car advertisments
Who is so fucking stuipd thy dont realize 13,999 is 14,000?
Answer: Enough, otherwise they would use it as a marketing ploy

Example 2. You
"Look at some of the smear-jobs some of you are perpetuating against those nasty ol' "extroverts": they don't follow through, they're financially unstable, they fake interest and do nothing but back-slap and engage in idle chatter.

Funny, isn't it? "Intros" are all in a tizzy about being stereotyped as loners and weirdos, and they turn around and stereotype "Extros" as unstable, unreliable and dependent on people.

Sickening, really. I thought smart people knew better than to fight stereotypes with stereotypes."

Just because someone says intros are not X does not imply that extros are

If I were to say 'As an introvert I hate talking to morons mindless drone on about sports statistics that are 30yrs old'

It does not mean that extroversts enjoy it

Heres a thought, take what people are saying and leave it at that, dont search for hidden meanings

Erm, ok, lujlp...that's what I was doing.

For example:

What the hell's wrong with being a loner? Hell, we could use more independent people and less people expecting others to bail them out on mortgages and health insurance while they live extravagantly.

As if being an introvert or an extrovert had anything to do with an individual's financial savvy.

Or this:

Amongst the back-slapping "how the hell ya' doin'" types, my boss was skeptical if I'd succeed due to my "social anxiety." The clients figured out I was the one who'd actually read their requests, returned calls with meaningful information etc.

Again, being an "I" or an "E" on the Myers-Briggs has nothing to do with your ability to follow through.

Rauch himself can't help himself but to smear people who aren't "like him"...he automatically assumes that extroverts are "bored by themselves" and will "wilt or fade" without people.

Anybody laboring under the delusion that this is an article that dispels myths about introverts is wrong, it's more than that...it's Rauch crowing about how much better people like him are and looking down his nose "insecure extroverts".

Give me a break.

Look at some of the smear-jobs some of you are perpetuating against those nasty ol' "extroverts": they don't follow through, they're financially unstable, they fake interest and do nothing but back-slap and engage in idle chatter.

Oh, please. Are you that easily offended? I think it's safe to predict that people yammering into their phones at a high decibel in public aren't introverts. To name one example.

Again, introverts are people who don't get energized by engaging socially. Extroverts do. It's why my boyfriend is always amazed when I have conversations with the flight attendant, the maitre d' at Matteo, etc. I'm chatty. He's the anti-chatty. Extrovert, introvert. No need to get all insulted.

Ms. Alkon-

I am definitely not insulted. Really, what I am aiming for here is that, just as introverts have pointed out that they are not shy, or misanthropes, or mentally unwell, it's just as counterproductive for people (like Rauch and commenters here) to turn around and start spouting off equal amounts of nonsense about extroverts.

I'm not insulted; I'm a "pox on both of your (nonexistent) houses" type.

What the hell's wrong with being a loner? Hell, we could use more independent people and less people expecting others to bail them out on mortgages and health insurance while they live extravagantly.

As if being an introvert or an extrovert had anything to do with an individual's financial savvy.

And where did it say that it did? I see no use of the word extrovert or introvert above, am I mistaken?
Or this:

Amongst the back-slapping "how the hell ya' doin'" types, my boss was skeptical if I'd succeed due to my "social anxiety." The clients figured out I was the one who'd actually read their requests, returned calls with meaningful information etc.

So an introvert excelled at his job despite reservations due to a negoitive streotype and that insults extroverts how??

Thanks for playing, please try again

lujlp - I note you didn't address the fact that Rauch rags on extroverts, in that he says they are "bored by themselves".

Could you please quote where he says they ARE border by themselves?

1. He says seem, nice use of parsing hrases with selective quotation.

2. How does two sentances out of the whole post qualify as a rag?

3. This is just another deflection, you have yet to take my suggestion to heart

Ayn -

You also seem to be operating under the impression that because one is not an introvert, they must be an extrovert. Rather an inane notion, when you consider that intro/extro tend to be used to label those at fairly extreme ends of a spectrum.

DuWayne and Ayn seem to be polar opposites. When DuWayne finds a conversation dull or uninteresting, he is desperate to leave. Ayn will hang around and KEEP hanging around, just to tell everyone how dull and uninteresting their conversation is.

Ayn,

True extroverts get bored when by themselves for long streches of time. Same as true introverts get bored when in groups of unfamiliar people.
I see this as a statement of fact, not anything particularly offensive.

"And when people start talking, how do I redirect the conversation away from gossip/ television/ other things I don't care about, in a way that changes the conversation rather than alienates and shuts up the person doing the talking?"

Wow, that's easy. For instance, if they start up about Britney or Paris, you can actually tailor the conversation by asking them what they would do in such a situation. You get to show them that what they see on TV isn't the whole story; you get to see them squirm, trying to think; they get to talk about themselves, which is what most people really want to do, because it's almost like doing something with their life. Guiding a conversation is easy for a thinker.

PS - I just saw an ad for Britney's perfume, "Curious". As in, "I'm curious. How did you get so screwed up?"

Radwaste, thanks for the tip. That has the potential to be entertaining.

Pirate Joe -

Not entirely accurate. We both seem to share the obsession with never letting go of an argument. I know why I do it; 'cause I'm right dammit! Not sure why Ayn does it:)

What's horrifying, is what qualifies for not dull to me.

Rather an inane notion, when you consider that intro/extro tend to be used to label those at fairly extreme ends of a spectrum.

Yikes - that wooshing sound over your head? Pay it no mind. Just consider what I first wrote:

I am both energized by people and like time to myself. I like being around people and I like being alone...I don't particularly cotton to being told that I "wilt or fade" because I am energized by people.

How about this?: people are more complex than Rauch thinks, and any form of pigeonholing or stereotyping is just pandering to one group or the other. Rauch is an introvert? He'll bash on extroverts.

Ayn -

Actually, I think that just flew over your head. Guess what? Your probably not an extrovert or an introvert then. And I still don't see how anyone is pigeonholing or stereotyping. For quite a few people, the labels of introvert or extrovert are accurate labels. This is neither good nor bad, it just is.

In spite of the fact that intro and extro are not pathological, your attitude is reminiscent of that of neurological disorder denialists. People who don't understand this or that disorder, so just can't believe they even exist. I don't really get your problem here. Some people are at one of the other end of the spectrum. Others are not and neither label fits. Get over it.