Intellectual Loneliness
It’s far more likely that the OP is lacking in social skills. People are not two dimensional, and people who are who you find at most parties. Conversations in a social setting have a certain protocol to them. They start out with small talk, that’s how you learn someone’s mannerisms, personality, flow, etc. without having to actually concentrate on the details of what you’re talking about. You read their subtle cues to learn how to interact with them.<p>Not everyone is matched appropriately and I find it takes a lot of effort, especially emotional effort to connect with someone you don’t know for the first time, at a party where there are a lot of distractions. Have you ever noticed people who glide effortlessly from person to person, and who are able to talk to anyone? Seek those people out and study how they interact with other humans.<p>Having good social skills is just as important as being well read, maybe even more so. A good book can be entertaining but it only takes a chance encounter to meet a life long friend, form a beneficial relationship, or meet a romantic partner. Part of me wonders if the OP were to meet one of the authors of the books he reads at a party, would he be able to interact with them? Probably not, and that’s my point exactly.<p>You’re going to go to a lot of parties in life, if you give up on them you are depriving yourself of valuable life experience. It has nothing to do with books or how smart you are.