Introverts still need social interaction, and still enjoy it, it's just like spending a type of energy to do it. The same way doing a lot of physical activity can feel good, but still be exhausting afterwards, it's like that with introverts and really social events like a party. It's fun, but it's tiring.

And now I have a question for you, as an extrovert, how do you handle being alone with only your own thoughts to keep you company? Does that feel exhausting for you?

People are extremely social creatures, even the most anti social weirdo still strictly needs social interaction and will feel lonely. Introverts just need their social time spaced out. I think being an introvert is less 'prefers to be alone' and more 'easily overwhelmed socially'

Introverts are the most likely to be lonely tbh. It's less that they receive energy by being alone but rather that the "social battery" recharges when alone. It has nothing to do with the need of human interaction.

Wanting to make dinner and being physically hungry are two different sensations. I can absolutely be hungry but not have the energy to make dinner. In the same way, I can be in need of social interaction while still not having the drive to go out and do it.

Is introversion even a real thing? I am starting to believe its burnout from social masking and many of us are just autistic

Yes we do

We totally do. All people need a social life, but as an introvert I just like to space out my social time, or when in public I tend to not talk to people, but we certainly do get lonely.

Yes, we get lonely.

We need time to recharge by ourselves, alone, it is true. However, worthwhile relationships are still worth spending energy on, even if prolonged social interaction can drain the battery to zero.

I used to think I was an introvert because I do enjoy solitude and doing things alone. I flourished when I was quarantined in 2020 because I didn’t have to get up early and could go outside and do tons of stuff whenever. When I came back to school and mostly just had acquaintances and listened to too many podcasts I got lonely. I still love being alone and being around some people is draining, but I’m also energized by being around friends and have worked hard at getting closer friends in the last year, successfully. Now I think very few people are solidly introvert or extrovert, and many of the things that “introverts” claim to be unique for aren’t that unique. I do know a couple solid extroverts ig. My (probably) autistic brother’s greatest fear seems to be doing anything alone. Some people look lonely, but aren’t receptive if you try to reach out, so idk what’s up with them.

I do at times, but i've gotten used to it enough that i'd rather just put up with it than face the alternative.

Yes

They very much do get lonely and the "get energy" thing is a silly mnemonic. People don't operate in fundamentally different ways except for neurodivergence (and even then), it's just differences along a gradient. It's probably more accurate to look at it as how much strain is involved in being with company vs alone.

I don't really... I was always content with just talking to people online for many many years. For a while the only reason I left my apartment was to get food, beer, cigarrettes or drugs. Then I'd hole up again until one or more of those things ran out.

I prefer solitude to be honest. I don't like dealing with people and their demands, but if they're just online people I can just click the X button and poof they're gone for now.

I had always considered myself extraverted but recently I have been shifting towards a more introverted character. Different things happend in different stages of life. That does not mean I want to be alone all the time. I still like company, I still like being with my partner and friends and family. It's just that I need some alone time every once in a while.

If It were to be alone all the time I'd become lonely and miserable. I think many introverts (if you want to put people into stereotypes to begin with) are like this. But not everyone. It's more of a fluid scale rather than a very binary thing.

You can't eat your own ass. Believe me, I've tried.

introversion is just more pop psychology stuff the public gets latched onto. it means just as much as when someone says "I need to get my dopamine" or other stuff, aka very little

Introvert here. Get drained in crowds, being alone in quiet privacy is recharging. Cuz autism et al, most of life has been on edges of crowds, everyone connecting, me confused, alone. Use to feel like a failure, desperate to connect.

Now, tho.... have learned to socialize by osmosis. So if a feel alone, just go somewhere public. Have very active imagination, lot of interests, talk to myself a lot. Danger of social isolation , my thoughts start to narrow, recursive, world gets smaller.

I'm late 40s, no friends, no family, no one to talk to... I think I'm OK about being alone. Or maybe that's self delusion.