Is wanting to be alone selfish?

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I am not aiming to justify a problem I have with someone; this is a sincere question. I am a teenager and prefer to be alone than constantly doing small talk over and over again. I'm expected to constantly smile, conform, and not express my opinions or emotions. I sometimes stay in my room and pursue my interests without talking much. If I so much as frown or try to be by myself she calls me selfish and claims that children in 'places like Africa' would give anything to have my life.
So based off of that anecdote and your experiences is the desire to be alone selfish? I am just curious about what others who can understand how I feel think.

I think people get their energies from different things. There's nothing good or bad about that, it's just a fact. Some people are wired for interaction and some get their energy from alone time. I found myself in a situation last week where I was in a restaurant with people for 5 hours. I was fine and social the first 3 but gradually I started to burn out and by the last hour, my mood was completely black. It's just not in me to talk to people for that long even though I liked the group and was having fun. There's nothing selfish about fulfilling your needs if you understand them.

NO it's not selfish, if that's what is good for you then do it! There are people who think that not contacting your friends every so often, or just plain ditching them is selfish, but THIS is nowhere near true. You have no commitment to befriend or be around anyone. Those who depend on socialization will find others to fill your place.

Socialization is in no way a commitment. There are relationships that are based on commitment, but just standard friends and hanging out is not in any way..

If they develop a dependency on you, that's their own problem. You should not be bound by other peoples mistakes. If they get at you for not contacting or hanging out with them, then that is THEM being selfish, not you. If you said you would at a certain time and didn't, or really made them think and wait for you to contact them, and you know you did it without doing so, that can be pretty rude and selfish, but in general, you have no commitment or responsibility to look after their emotional needs. You can if you want, but that's completely up to you.

I always need to "recharge" after socializing, or just being around people in general. I can become emotionally exhausted just by having guests in the same house as me, even if I don't spend any time interacting with them directly. I think it's because I feel like I can't completely relax around other people; like I always have to be on my best behavior around them instead of just being myself.

The only people who I can fully relax around and who don't tire me out are my parents and brother, and that's because I've lived with them my entire life and I know that they don't judge me or expect anything out of me.

I look after the emotions of those in my life who take precedence, i.e. stuck downtown with nowhere to sleep or those affected by a recent tragedy. Beyond that I've learned the health benefits of doing whatever I please. If you've got any resources to bear, like a car or book collection or serious computer, these aren't things to be lorded over people but when it's acceptable you should make equitable trades for your time. You have to be helpful but pragmatic at the same time, and that's honestly something I could imagine everyone here struggles with. It takes more than just a few aspies to keep the world spinning.

I also hear the "do something with you life, you are lucky to have gotten the one you have!" thing a lot. I am also a teen who much prefers to be alone, especially after being in a group for any amount of time. I don't think it is selfish of us, I think it is a bit selfish of the people who expect us to be just like them and want to constantly interact. To me, other people seem a bit too needy. It is even GIVING on my part, sometimes, when I stay away from other people. I tend to do my best interacting with people after a nice long time spent in my room or other place where I have been by myself. To recap: I might be biased (towards you), but I don't think that it is selfish to want to be alone a lot.

For many of us it's a need, even if only for periods of time, it is a need,

No other people are being selfish wanting you to conform and not be alone.

Bingo!

Like others have said I don't have the capacity to socialize for a long time so I feel it is a need for me. Thank you for the replies; if only those around me could understand that the need to be by myself is sometimes as critical a need as food or sleep for me and you guys.

No, I don't think its selfish to want to spend some time alone. Its necessary to remove all bio-degradable waste from our chemical makeup from time to time, helps to clear up all impurities connected with our alter egos and establish and well-grounded point of inner vocal contact.
Are you a fan of hatha yoga? any meditation is good, so don't lose that inner strength.

it is not selfish to prefer solo time. Some solo time is necessary for all in order to recharge ourselves.