I also think it's important to acknowledge individual differences. To give one relevant example, pairing sounds particularly challenging for people on the autism spectrum, which as a group is well-represented among software engineers. Several of the things the author sites as problems (need for sensory breaks, difficulty sustaining social engagement) are real issues for most autistic folks. It's not a coincidence that autistic people talk about "burnout" in much the same way that the author does--a total cognitive shutdown.
I'm not saying the author is autistic, although they might be, I have no idea. But enough people are that designing a work environment that won't work for them is something we want to be very careful about. And even more people aren't autistic but have some overlapping traits--the author might be in this group. That's also where I'd place myself, as someone who's not on the spectrum but has multiple close relatives who are, and sees more than a bit of myself in them, although not enough to be diagnosable. I think I could handle pair programming up to 30 or 40% of the time, but more than that, and I'm pretty sure I'd burn out fast.
I'm not saying the author is autistic, although they might be, I have no idea. But enough people are that designing a work environment that won't work for them is something we want to be very careful about. And even more people aren't autistic but have some overlapping traits--the author might be in this group. That's also where I'd place myself, as someone who's not on the spectrum but has multiple close relatives who are, and sees more than a bit of myself in them, although not enough to be diagnosable. I think I could handle pair programming up to 30 or 40% of the time, but more than that, and I'm pretty sure I'd burn out fast.