regarding remaining mute, i know what you mean, where i work at the moment i can stay mute for the whole shift mainly because i don't relate to some of the people there who are already in cliques, i mean i do sometimes initiate banter but i dont really carry a conversation at all...but i can be chatty just not at work where i'm really out of my comfort zone...i've tried drinking two beers before going to work once and i was chatty for the entire shift...it was great, i felt relaxed and didnt care about what people thought. of course i'd prefer if that happened naturally...