Over the years I've seen numerous articles about introverts that mention that they dislike large social interactions (meetings, parties, etc) because they drain their energy. These articles mention that it can take days or weeks to recharge this energy.
This is anecdotal evidence, but I've personally felt it twice in the last week, which peaked my interest. A good way to describe this phenomena is - after a couple hours of large corporate meeting, the energy is gone, and I feel demotivated and just want to go home. "Feeling drained" is another good way to put it.
Are there scientific theories about what is causing introverts to lose energy in social settings? Is it related to mirror neurons? Is it related to a particular neurotransmitter system in the brain? Maybe it is related to a specific neurotransmitter receptor mutations?
Edit:
I found this relevant question that asks for the name of the "introverts losing energy" phenomenon. It mentions the following terms:
- Social overload
- Social exhaustion
- Decision fatigue
- Over stimulated