Asking others for input puts you in the driver's seat, and may feel less awkward than having to watch yourself on video.

Introvert, her brain responds with a high level of activity, it is as if several lights start flashing on a control panel.

A good rule of thumb is that any environment that consistently leaves you feeling bad about who you are is the wrong environment.

A shy kid might look longingly at other kids playing in the schoolyard, afraid and unsure about how to approach them, but an introvert is perfectly content on her own.

I am rarely bored alone; I am often bored in groups and crowds.

Extroverts are more attuned to social rewards, so they are more likely to flash a smile for effect. A notable exception are introverts - like me - whom I call "socially accessible" introverts. We have been trained well to smile and nod, which can place a burden on our processing efforts.

America is a noisy culture, unlike, say, Finland, which values silence. Individualism, dominant in the U.S. and Germany, promotes the direct, fast-paced style of communication associated with extraversion. Collectivistic societies, such as those in East Asia, value privacy and restraint, qualities more characteristic of introverts.