In praise of introverts

Although I'm now so pretentious as to think the introvert/extrovert distinction to be a little trite, this still strikes me as interesting, because I consider myself to have introversive tendencies. Susan Cain, a self-described introvert, praises our shy sort in her new book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts. On how others react when she tells them she's introverted:

People sometimes seem surprised when I say this, because I’m a pretty friendly person. This is one of the greatest misconceptions about introversion. We are not anti-social; we’re differently social. I can’t live without my family and close friends, but I also crave solitude. I feel incredibly lucky that my work as a writer affords me hours a day alone with my laptop. I also have a lot of other introvert characteristics, like thinking before I speak, disliking conflict, and concentrating easily. Introversion has its annoying qualities, too, of course. For example, I’ve never given a speech without being terrified first, even though I’ve given many. (Some introverts are perfectly comfortable with public speaking, but stage fright afflicts us in disproportionate numbers.)

I'm among those who find public speaking easy, to the point where I rarely have reason to be nervous. Conversely, I find small talk extremely challenging.