I'll throw this out for discussion: Are scientists in general introverted? Certainly that's the stereotype in the US. And my experiences have supported that general view. Compared to the US norm, I'm in the middle between quiet/retiring and loud/outgoing, but at a scientific meeting, I'm well towards the outgoing end of the spectrum.
Since a fair number of non-US readers are here, additional questions are
a) Is that same stereotype common in your country (and what country is it)?
b) Do the scientists in general follow it?
This was brought to mind by some recent meetings I've been at which included non-US scientists, or a meeting that was just US folks, but not just scientists. It looked like the non-US scientists weren't nearly as quiet/retiring as the US norm.
If anyone knows of some research on the subject, that'll be even better than anecdotes!
