Editor’s note- This article is brought to you by an ambivert: someone who knows both ends of the spectrum.
Personality is a complex phenomenon that is highly studied by psychologists. One factor that helps psychologists study personalities is the tendency of a person to put themselves in a stimulating environment.
Reputed psychologist Carl Jung coined the terms "introverted" and "extroverted" in the 1920s. In his model, the differences between these two personalities basically boil down to energy. Extroverts are energized by social interaction. In contrast, an introvert would find social interactions to be energy-expending and they require time alone to recharge. You could think of introverts as a battery with a short life span that needs constant charging.
You can always ask the question, is this something psychologists made up? Yes, it is but there’s neurobiological evidence that distinguishes the differences between the brain of an introvert and extrovert. Studies conducted have shown that introverts have more blood flow in the brain regions involved with recalling events, making plans and solving problems. Extroverts have more blood flow in brain areas involved with interpreting sensory data. Studies have also shown that introvert brains are highly stimulated by dopamine, while an extrovert might need a higher amount of dopamine to exhibit the same degree of stimulation, which basically means that extroverts have a higher tolerance for stimulatory actions than introverts do.
Apart from the science behind these two very different personalities, society itself has different approaches when dealing with people, introverts especially. Because, while extroverts seem more social and friendly, introverts come off as plain rude most of the time just because they keep to themselves. Here are some of the most common misconceptions society has of introverts:
Introverts hate people
Okay, let’s pull out the biggest one of them all first. Introverts can feel overwhelmed in large, noisy crowds, which causes them to withdraw and avoid putting themselves in mentally exhausting social situations. This can however lead to the misunderstanding that they hate people, but that isn't necessarily the case. They can take a few people at a time, that too preferably in small doses. If we were to get technical, it’s actually the misanthropes who hate being around people. It is a given that introverts can develop mild misanthropic tendencies however.
Introverts are shy and never make any friends
Introversion and shyness are often regarded as one and the same. We admit that introverts are less likely to initiate conversation, but it is often because they do not wish to engage in it and not because they are shy. To be clear some introverts can be shy, but so can extroverts. (yes, there is such a thing as a shy extrovert) Shyness is a behavioral trait - it’s to be fearful in a social situation. Introversion has nothing to do with being fearful in social situations. The brain of an introvert react similarly to images of humans faces and flowers while extroverts display a stronger response to human faces. This difference in processing leads extroverts to be more attached to people than introverts. Introverts are known to establish a few, yet strong relationships when it comes to people. They take time to establish friendships as they are driven by the need to get to know a person before they connect.
Introverts harness a lot of negativity
This is not true. They just aren’t what you’d call ‘’socially motivated’’. Studies show that the motivation of extroverts vastly relies on the motivation and support of their social circle. But for introverts it’s different, they literally are the source of their own motivation. The reward theory of introversion/extroversion suggests that introverts have a fundamental difference in how strongly they process rewards from their environment. The brains of introverts are highly satisfied with internal reward cues than external rewards. However, this is not to say that introverts don’t like support from their friends.
Introverts are not leadership material
Bill Gates, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Mark Zuckerberg and Albert Einstein are some of the most pivotal leaders the world has seen-and they were introverts. Do we really need explain further?
Introverts are not good team players
While an introvert's mental ability is at a pinnacle when they are in a quiet setting by themselves this does not mean that they can’t work in teams. Infact most teamwork in the real-world setting requires individual work that is required prior and after group discussions. This means that most of the thinking is done individually while group discussions allow brainstorming to create a combination of a variety of different ideas brought to the table.
Introverts try so hard to be extroverts
Again, false. They (and this writer) love being cooped up in silence with their thoughts to themselves. This is sometimes the best part of their (our) day.
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