On further reflection I think the biggest problem may just be complete incompatibility of interest. Most people I know want to talk about things like tv shows, sports, hunting, taxes, the latest animal video they saw, getting drunk, etc. I try to change the subject to space exploration or information theory but nobody is interested. I have to be constantly careful not to come off as nerdy or patronizing. I'm about to move from a small town in New Mexico to a postdoc at NASA JPL so I suspect I may find myself less of an introvert there :-)