was convinced that if I went out as much as possible and met as many people as I could, it would change my personality as well.

Every time I tried to apply the advice I had read in one of those books in practice, it wouldn’t work, and my usual awkward behavior would come out instead.

after a couple of years of this lifestyle, I realized that I was wasting myself. Yes, I was socializing like a “normal” person, I was meeting new people, I was going out, and had a lot of fun, but the truth was that the only thing this way of life brought me was a disappointment.

First of all, multiple acquaintances and social activities can be distracting. If you’re an introvert, you’re aware of the truth of this statement more than anyone else.

connection with other human beings instinctively brings us happiness and security. Conversely, rejection brings us unhappiness and emotional pain[2]

In any case, if you want to be happy, the trick is to have the right amount of social communication for your needs.

“What’s wrong with me?” Over and over again I asked myself “Why can’t I just be like everybody else?”

I suffered from the understanding that I was an awkward misfit, unable to do what was so simple and seemed to come so naturally and easily to everyone else: connecting with other human beings.

This also means that promoting an independent self-concept increases our ability to channel social rejection into creative activities.