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I am an introvert. I always have been. Even as a very young child, when one LW postulates that we wanted to connect with everyone...nope, I didn't. I'd be the one happier sitting with the adults.
I do have friends, but even though we enjoy spending time together, it is naturally draining for many introverts, and I stand in their company. One of my best friends, who lives in another state, recently visited. By the first evening when we were sitting in my livingroom talking, after being together for hours, I blanked for a little bit while she was talking with the thought "Oh, God...how am I going to get through the next three days of this?" When I bid her farewell after a very nice visit, I went home and slept from 5PM until the next morning.
Even small, very enjoyable social gatherings are draining. I go, I have a genuinely good time, but there isn't a single time I attend a small or large social event without needing to have zero human contact for the next day or so.
It isn't just a matter of laziness or not wanting to put out, selfishness, whatever else extroverts seem to accuse the introverts of. Not everyone is built for a lot of human contact.
