Then I suggest you do both. I'd start by taking a good book to a local cafe, if there is one. Step two is to talk to a friend, or even better find a local function where strangers interact (check meetup.com), and force yourself to go and stay until the end. :)
I actually just updated that comment to add a bit more to it. I do really well with people and have no problem making or keeping friends. I actually do have a rather large base, but I need intellectual stimulus. I'm unfortunately very poor, and have been fighting to go to my university for years. It's pushed me out for about two years because of it, and since I moved across the country to be somewhere I enjoy and get a really good education, I no longer have my close friends and have very few sources to make new ones. Thankfully my girlfriend just moved back to town so I've been meeting a lot of people through her.
Well, it sounds like you at least have a pretty good well of emotional support. I've run the gamut myself, and if I have learned anything about myself, it's that making changes in my behavior is usually easier than changing my outlook, and often my outlook follows along. Thanks for the kind words about the site. I appreciate it.