I fully embrace my introversion. In the past I used to feel bad about it, like it wasn't normal. I think there's this unfortunate negative stigma around being introverted. People label you as "shy" or "quiet". American culture and especially in the business world, want someone that appears outgoing and confident and there's a pressure to look busy and maintain a social life. Now I no longer make excuses or feel bad about not wanting to socialize every chance I get. In fact just recently someone at the office asked me if I was going to the company holiday party this year and I just said, "no", I didn't bother coming up with an excuse.
When I do attend social engagements, I often find the person that likes to talk the most and ask them a question about themselves. It's like winding up a cheap plastic toy, they'll keep talking and talking and you just stare and nod your head and keep saying, "uh huh, ok, sure, yeah, really?, wow" and when they're done talking, you wind them up again by asking another question. It's really fascinating in some situations because if you just ask questions and listen, many people will tell you some stuff you probably shouldn't know. They feel you're trust worthy because you're not a big talker and you sound interested in their lives. Introverts socialize and have fun in their own way.