Introverts want to live in an anonymous neighborhood, ideally packed with tight-lipped smiles for passersby, the occasional distant wave, and the courtesy of never stopping by for a spare egg. While I’m all for cordial behavior with the people who live in your neighborhood, it’s the small talk and the chit-chat that crosses the line. Painting yourself into a corner of feigned friendship, chit-chat tricks people into thinking that they’re buddies with their neighbors, which can never truly be the case. Introverted people understand that the home space is so sacred that you can never let anyone near the threshold, especially a frequent passerby, for fear of ruining the solitary sanctity. 

Perhaps that’s an antisocial outlook on communal living, and while I cherish the idea of living in the middle of the woods with no foreseeable neighbors, like many introverted people, I’m also terrified of being truly, truly alone. Alas, the dichotomy of introversion rears its ugly head—we wish to be close, but not too close, to society.