It seems to me like gregarious people and loners can be after the same thing. Some people want acceptance and approval from others whereas other people have more of an inner connection to the same source.
What is the source? We don't understand (yet) but it's an interesting clue that the things other people like about you aren't necessarily the things you like about yourself.
> Needing to be alone after school or work is not quite the same as being alone 24/7 for months.
Yes that is a different kind of solitude, this is more of a distinction between people who are part of society but with minimal social interaction, and those who seek maximal interaction and have some kind of dysfunction without it (e.g depression).
I'm more part of the former group, I don't usually seek out social interaction but don't shun it either. I enjoy interesting conversations with people but I never feel lonely in their absence. I suspect this may have more to do with what else fills a persons life, rather than some deeper psychological difference (or some crude dichotomy such as introvert vs extrovert as many probably attribute it to).
