4 Things You Need to Know If You Are an Introvert or an Extrovert
Number 1 — Introverts are energized by solitude, while extroverts are energized by social interaction.
Introvert vs. Extrovert
A lot of people believe that introverts are just negative people who hate social interaction.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. While there is a level of introversion that could be considered extreme shyness or anti-social, being an introvert has nothing to do with whether you enjoy being around other people or not.
It’s about how your brain works.
An extroverted person will receive a rush of dopamine when they’re in a social situation. In contrast, an introverted person will get bored in these situations and seek more meaningful interactions with just one or two close friends instead.
1. Introverts are energized by solitude, while extroverts are energized by social interaction.
When you’re an introvert, sometimes you’re going to feel drained of energy from social interaction and will need to spend time by yourself to recharge.
When you’re an extrovert, spending too much time alone can make you feel lonely and bored.
Which one are you?
Understanding the different types of people isn’t easy. But if you want to be an extrovert or an introvert, you’ll have to adjust your personality in certain areas.
Let’s see how.
Social interaction and human connection are some of the essential parts of our lives.
When you’re an introvert, you’ll often avoid initiating and hosting conversations because you’ve noticed how uncomfortable conversation is for you. Instead, you prefer to observe or listen and then speak up when necessary.
When an extrovert starts talking, they can’t wait to keep talking. But, in their mind, keeping conversations drain their energy. And even though they enjoy initiating and hosting discussions, they get bored very quickly.
Over time, they might even stop talking in meetings. After a while, when an extrovert has a conversation with nobody, they feel drained, which triggers their lack of energy and higher risks of depression.
Extroverts also tend to find it challenging to sit still and focus when they’re around people.
When an extrovert’s brain receives too much stimulation, it causes it to malfunction. This is why extroverts are often seen as funny and lively instead of serious and calm when they talk.
They enjoy novelty.
Chocolate, new clothes, music, scenery — the more exciting something is, the more they’ll want to have it.
Boredom isn’t appealing to them, and they’ll use almost any distraction they can find to keep themselves entertained, including coloring, taking a hot bath, writing in their journal, or reading a comic book.
2. Introverts tend to be more profound thinkers, while extroverts tend to take things at face value.
People who are extroverts are energized by social activity. They tend to be oriented toward action, while introverts are energized by thinking and oriented toward reflection.
An introvert isn’t something you fall into. It’s something you manifest. The more you manage your energy levels, the less inclined you will be to be drawn towards being around other people.
Meditation is when you focus on your thoughts instead of your surroundings.
Your environment becomes a distraction and not the work itself, so if you’re assigned to “work” all day, you’ll be more willing to allow yourself to be alone and recharge your batteries.
I do this to get myself out of my office and onto a different floor in my building. Then, if I feel drained, all I need to do is take a walk and sit on a nearby bench for a few minutes.
A walk will “flush out” all the toxins from my body and get me back into balance.
Instead, social stress can force you to move in an unnatural way to maintain your attention.
While many people don’t understand the complexities of introvert vs. extrovert, you’re able to clear this up by simply understanding a few psychological concepts.
For example, introverts feel “a need to fight,” while extroverts feel “a need to melt into the background and let the world do its thing.”
The way you manage your energy levels will determine how long you’ll last in a particular type of environment.
3. Introverts process information internally, whereas extroverts process information externally.
There is a difference between introverts and extroverts, and that difference is in how they process information.
Introverts need time to process information internally, and extroverts process information externally to interact more with the world.
What does that process look like internally? According to the Social Attention Model of Attention, each type of attention has an assigned value.
Introverts are assigned a value of “low attention,” while extroverts are assigned a matter of “great attention.”
Because of this, each type will respond better to something that meets their value rather than something that meets the other type’s value.
Extroverts will notice things immediately, while introverts will take longer to notice, classify, and interpret information.
This could mean that you can use introverted perceptiveness to your advantage when writing content that might really resonate with an audience.
I often use the following situation in my presentations and business write-ups to demonstrate how you can tap into different types of attention for various purposes.
4. Extroverted people will feel bored or out of sorts when they’re alone and introverted people will feel exhausted when others constantly surround them.
It’s important to know yourself and understand how you feel in different situations, and know when you’re in your element and not.
For example, extroverts may feel bored or out of sorts when they’re alone and introverted people will feel exhausted when others constantly surround them.
Learn more about the types of people you are and tune into what works best for you.
A lot of uncomfortable conversations come from being awkward with people you don’t know. So, take the time to build up a bridge of trust with your friends and try to share insights, opinions, and suggestions.
You could always use one of these superb pieces of advice one life:
Every person has a different experience from others.
Conclusion
We are all wired differently. One is not necessarily good over the other. In some cases, we are both an introvert and an extrovert.
In my case, I am a natural introvert, and when I talked to my friend recently, we have accepted and embraced the fact that we are both introverts.
On days when all I think is about my life, feelings, and even my life’s purpose, I realize that it is not of depression or sadness.
Still, when I have to give to my introverted self, it is a time for self-introspection.
I enjoy the company of friends who are overtly extroverts. But, of course, there is nothing wrong with them.
Again, we have to accept our diversity and difference, celebrate that we know who we are, and accept introverts or extroverts.