Common Myths About Introverts

In this world of diversity, some of us are extroverts, some of us introverts, and some a little bit of both. Although I’m not a big fan of dividing people into categories and putting them into boxes, this is just a part of each person’s personality. Although I can’t claim to be 100% introverted, I can say that I’m definitely around 80% in that category. 

For those who might not know what an introvert exactly is, the definition goes something like this. 

An introvert is a person who is energized by spending time alone. Often found in their homes, libraries, quiet parks that not many people know about, or other secluded places, introverts like to think and be alone. 

There are quite a lot of myths about introverts out there. Some of them are really silly, and some of them are closer to the truth but still not quite. For extroverts, it may seem odd how someone can like to be alone and think that it’s true, but introverts really enjoy spending time with just themselves. 

INTROVERTS ARE SHY 

Just because we are maybe not the ones who will approach another person first and start a conversation doesn’t mean that we are shy. Of course that it varies from person to person. We just don’t like to start a conversation if we don’t feel like it. The thing is that small talk takes more energy from introverts than deep conversation about something they are passionate about.  

As we are not feeling very comfortable in large groups of people, expecting introverts to stand out and lead the conversation is a little bit too much. You can only see how chatty and easy-going introverts are when they really feel comfortable around you and know that you won’t judge them or make fun of them. We like to have deep conversations about things that we feel the other person also likes to talk about. 

I once saw one celebrity say, "I'm not shy. I just don't speak if I don't have anything to say. That's what tact is. Tact is the art of saying nothing when there is nothing to say..."

THEY DON’T LIKE PEOPLE 

I know that most people's thoughts of introverts imagine some lonely girl/boy in their bedroom reading books and avoiding any kind of human interaction…only pets allowed, of course. The thing is that we like to choose when we want to hang out with other humans and which ones we’ll be with. Most introverts have a small group of friends that they love to hang out with, but in moderation. 

We can easily lose our energy and get tired when we are around a large group of people for a long period of time. Introverts like to spend time alone, as that’s the way they get their energy back. However, once we find a person with whom we have an amazing connection, we can hang out with them 24/7 without feeling like we need to hide to gain our social battery. 

THEY ARE STIFF 

The thing with introverts is that until they let you really know them, they may seem to be very stiff, and maybe sometimes it can come across as cold and reserved. That’s definitely a big misunderstanding. Sometimes, we can maybe act like that unconsciously, as social interactions make us anxious. Some of us are actually very silly and fun to be around once we get our guard down. 

If we let you see that side of us, then it means that you are really important to us and that we trust you. We just need some time to really feel comfortable and to let our real personality shine without being afraid that the trust will be broken. But never judge or make fun of us because then we’ll definitely block you out in the blink of an eye. 

So the next time you come across an introvert, try not to be judgmental and make them feel like they need to change to fit your extroverted energy. You can find a friend for life in them and also learn a lot about how to feel comfortable in your own company. Just because someone doesn’t like to stand in the crowd, it doesn’t make them any less interesting and amazing a person.

Are you an introvert? 

Do you have introvert friends? 

♥

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