I think what Micah is describing may be more accurately categorized as others have listed above: social anxiety, some depression, low self-esteem, etc.

For anyone who feels like an introvert, you should know there’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to be alone. I’m an introvert and I haven’t doubted that for years, but I have almost none of those characteristics mentioned above.

In fact, when I’m in public most people would think of me as an extrovert. I tend to be the life of the party. It’s only when they see that I’ve disappeared after an hour, completely worn out, that they begin to understand what an introvert really is.

I’m intrigued by this idea (a guide for the introverted blogger) but thus far it seems a bit too author-specific. I’ll be interested to see where it goes, however.

The classic hallmarks of introversion is that we become exhausted after interacting with our fellow humans, and need ‘alone time’ to recharge. Conversely, extroverts become energized by interacting with others. It’s just the way we’re built.

I’ve read a lot about introversion, and find the subject both fascinating and reassuring. It’s nice to know there’s nothing wrong with me, even though I’m not a party animal. Most every person who has made a significant contribution to science/technology, medicine and the arts is/was an introvert. They used their natural inclination toward solitude and deep thinking to perfect their theory, experimentation and craft. I’m proud to be a part of that ‘genre’ of human.

Here’s a link to a humorous article called, “Caring For Your Introvert,” originally published in The Atlantic: http://www.learningplaceonline.com/relationships/friends/caring-introvert.htm

I look forward to your next installment !

And actual I think blogging and the web in general help introvert people to express themselves, because as you write, small talk is not what we’re good at.

I don’t know what you’re talking about dude ;-)

(Of course you’re right – or even spikes of traffic, AdSense, TLA, etc.)

Yes, I think that is exactly right, and a point I hope to develop on in future posts.

All that aside, what would blogging fulltime (being in front of computer screen for …hours every day) do to the most social and gregarious of individuals?

And I think your wife is 100% correct there as well. This would seem a positive equalizer in the honest exchange of ideas, no? Although a great deal of people, who are very intelligent, suffer from dyslexia.

However, I was wondering where you see bipolar here? My wife tells me that bipolar is quite a different monster characterized by ups and downs (she’s a mental health therapist, who gets to practice on her husband from time to time;-). I’m an introvert but I don’t go through the highs and lows of bipolar. In other words, my introversion is fairly steady state and not characterized by depression. Rather, I hate large groups (but love small groups), love time to myself (and get energized by time alone), yet rarely feel like I know anything deeply enough to speak with an expert voice (I’m a perpetual skeptic), and prefer not speaking/writing at all to acting more confident than I really am.