"But I can’t imagine that someone surrounded by people of a similar age and of a similar background would prefer zero interaction to at least some interaction."
This author's a damn fool who hasn't taken the slightest effort to understand introverts on any level deeper than "how do I get the quiet people to fuel my need for constant social stimulation?"
My friends and co-workers believe and see me as a highly outgoing, social, talkative person.
Nevertheless, I'm an introvert at heart and can easily volunteer to help people understand and imagine what it's like to be a person surrounded by strangers of similar age & background and strognly prefer / find it easier to have zero interaction.
Hint: "Strangers" is the weighted keyword, not "similar background/age".
[Heck, "Similar age" has, for most of my life, been a negative attribute - Until late thirties I tended to socialize better with people slightly or significantly older]
This author's a damn fool who hasn't taken the slightest effort to understand introverts on any level deeper than "how do I get the quiet people to fuel my need for constant social stimulation?"