Some people have sensory issues. Too much, too loud, too long is physically overwhelming.
They can be plenty communicative in smaller, quieter settings.
Contemporary society can drive them nearly crazy, insisting they "speak up", over the din of dozens crammed into a loud, poorly ventilated room. Insisting they tune out multiple conversations 3, 5, 10 feet away from them, for 8 or 10 or 12 hours a day, every day.
Give them some peace a quite, and they are quite effective. Give them high signal to noise ratio, and they exceed their peers.
One size does not fit all. The first thing a "shy" person often needs to learn, is this. Really learn this.
P.S. They can even learn to do the "crammed room" thing, for limited stretches and when there is a specific purpose that centers on those people being gathered together in that setting. (E.g. presentations, conferences, etc.)
That doesn't mean that the goal should be to thrive in such, 24/7. Nor to indiscriminately partner up with whoever happens to be in the room, just because they're sharing physical proximity.
They can be plenty communicative in smaller, quieter settings.
Contemporary society can drive them nearly crazy, insisting they "speak up", over the din of dozens crammed into a loud, poorly ventilated room. Insisting they tune out multiple conversations 3, 5, 10 feet away from them, for 8 or 10 or 12 hours a day, every day.
Give them some peace a quite, and they are quite effective. Give them high signal to noise ratio, and they exceed their peers.
One size does not fit all. The first thing a "shy" person often needs to learn, is this. Really learn this.
P.S. They can even learn to do the "crammed room" thing, for limited stretches and when there is a specific purpose that centers on those people being gathered together in that setting. (E.g. presentations, conferences, etc.)
That doesn't mean that the goal should be to thrive in such, 24/7. Nor to indiscriminately partner up with whoever happens to be in the room, just because they're sharing physical proximity.
/grump