The Didact discusses a bit on when and how introverts he knows get chatty.

And because our brains are wired so differently, we find the act of transmitting specific bodies of deep knowledge to be actually quite enjoyable.

What annoys us, beyond all capacity of extroverts to understand, is having to talk about meaningless fluff. To our minds there is no value in such nonsense, so we simply don’t bother to do it. The most introverted of us can find the task of engaging in small talk to be almost physically painful. We do it because we have to, not because we want to.

But when we are asked to relay or interpret information upon which we place a high value, it can be difficult to get us to shut up- because now we are being asked to engage in what we consider to be a highly useful activity.

In my own case, because I maintain strong interests in a large number of different areas, and because I am blessed (and cursed) with an exceptionally good long-term memory, it is easy for me to put together cogent analyses that are as generic or as specific as I need them to be for a particular situation.

I have seen something similar at work with other deep introverts that I know.

Also, and this is more personal experience than objective but I’ve observed it in others, we can be called arrogant because we know what we know. That comes with a degree of… certitude in the delivery. Yet, if you observe long enough, you’ll see one of two things when they run into someone who actually has knowledge the introvert does not, that catches their interest.

They’ll shut up. And listen. Me, personally, once I begin to assemble a model of what I think is an understanding, I start asking questions to clarify. “Does this have anything to do with….”, etc.

Both aspects – the “here’s what I know” and the attempt to link new information into my understanding of the world tend to be called “showing off” – something I ignore these days because people telling me I’m only using my vocabulary or questions to show off what I know are saying more about themselves, their personalities, and their level of knowledge, than they are about me.

Incidentally, as to learning, it can be anything. A new book series (it’s how I started reading the Sharpe’s Rifles books), bricklaying, getting the right angle on a stair support cut, commercial airline pilot scheduling, procedures, and technology, better ways to light charcoal for a grill, damn near anything.