Introversion

Some people are shocked to find out that I am an introvert. I don't really see how this can come as a shock to anyone. I mean, I enjoy spending time with close friends and getting to know people, but spending time in big groups or with people I don't know or even with extreme extroverts totally exhausts me. I try to act like I'm totally comfortable, but I probably fail often, and it takes a lot of energy out of me. That's how introverts are. They like quiet time and alone time, and they prefer smaller groups or one-on-one interactions to bigger crowds. They aren't necessarily shy. And they aren't boring or dumb or handicapped in some way, as I feel extroverts (and even introverts themselves) tend to think.

This speech I've posted below by Susan Cain is the most insightful thing I have come across about the issue thus far, though I would like to delve into it more. Our society is made for extroverts. We value those characteristics. As Susan Cain says, our classrooms and workplaces cater to extroverts even though introverts make up nearly half of the population and are generally smarter and wiser, and in many cases more capable.

I find it fascinatingly unjust that introverts go so unappreciated in today's world and are made to feel like outcasts in our society. (For heaven's sake, I had the word "lame" thrown at me twice just this evening for choosing to go back home rather than go to what we young-single-adult Mormons call a "Munch & Mingle," which is basically when we flock over to a small apartment packed full of 20-something strangers and eat sweets, which most of us could really go without, and try to ask and hear and cleverly answer the redundant questions we tend to ask each other. Wait, so why is that fun? Exactly.) But enough of my thoughts. Please watch this video. It's about 20 minutes, but every minute of it is gold.

If you don't want to watch the video and would rather skim a short list that is also very insightful, read 10 Myths About Introverts. But really, you should also watch the video because for those of you that are introverts, it is very helpful in understanding yourself and appreciating yourself in a world that doesn't show its appreciation for you. And for extroverts, the video and the link will help you understand why introverts are the way they are, which will help you know how to interact with us!

Click here to view it from the source (since I can't seem to make the video proportionally smaller).