I am introverted and you are too. Introversion and extroversion, which were popularized by the psychologist Carl Jung, are the parts of us that either craves social interaction or solitude. Although we may tend to lean to either side of the spectrum, Carl Jung suggests that no one is purely introverted or extroverted. People may define themselves as introverted because they often need time alone to regain their energy, especially if they just came from a social event.

I always saw my introverted personality as a weakness. Being introverted made it harder for me to socialize and network to meet new people. As introverts, we also can’t share our opinions easily. Doesn’t that make us horrible leaders as well? Shouldn’t we all be striving to become extroverts? Nope, there are many benefits to being introverted.

Misconceptions

Being Introverted Means You Are Shy

I was called shy many times while growing up; maybe I was, but I always had a feeling that this was not quite right since I enjoyed meeting new people and did not fear other’s opinions on me. I did not fear social judgement as the definition told me I should be. Many people have this misconception; being shy, a loner or a misanthropist is not the same as being introverted. We tend to be sensitive to a social environment where there are many noises and sights that makes listening and focusing much more difficult.

Those Who Talk The Loudest Have The Best Opinions

Being talkative is often mistaken as being confident. In Susan Cain’s book called “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking”, she explains that “there’s zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas”. This makes sense when we think about the most intelligent people we have met and realize how the majority of them are quiet. As the famous philosopher, Lao Tzu said:

Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know

The power that introverts have comes from their ability to be patient and listen.

Collaboration Is The Key To Success

In school and work, we are often put into group work and taught that collaboration is key to success. However, that neglects the fact that some people work better alone. We see them as the loner or the shy one when we should really consider if they are content and can be even more productive when working by themselves. I am not saying that we should not collaborate, but rather we need to always consider when collaboration is necessary.

Extroverts Make The Best Leaders

We tend to turn a blind eye to introverted leaders. We want a charismatic leader who is both inspirational and morally just, but an introverted leader can do the same and lead us to better outcomes. Introverted leaders tend to let their followers run with their ideas, this can lead to better innovation compared to an extroverted leader who can get too enthusiastic about one idea and never consider new ones. It is the focus on the objective that introverts have that makes them valuable leaders. Remember that action does not happen in front of others, but behind the scenes.

We Cannot Change Our Personality

Our personality is based on the inherent traits that we are born with. If you were born in western countries like Canada or the US, you are probably a bit more extroverted since schools and jobs favour more group work. In contrast, we can see in eastern countries like China where individual work is a bigger focus. Though it is difficult to change our base personality, we can change aspects of them. To be more extroverted, we may try learning a new hobby that requires teamwork such as improv or toastmasters. Alternatively, to be more introverted we can create a schedule so we can prioritize our time alone while still including time to socialize with others. We are able to move our extraversion along the spectrum but we need to remember that sometimes it’s best to work with our strengths rather than our weaknesses. Brian Little, a personality and motivational psychologist said:

I’m an introvert, but I have a core project, which is to profess. I’m a professor. And I adore my students, and I adore my field. And I can’t wait to tell them about what’s new, what’s exciting, what I can’t wait to tell them about. And so I act in an extroverted way, because at eight in the morning, the students need a little bit of humour, a little bit of engagement to keep them going in arduous days of study.

This shows that we do not need to change our personality, we only need to put on different “hats” for when the necessary situation arises.

The Power of Being Introverted

Listening and Observation

• Strong empathy towards others by finding hidden details that others may miss
• Great critical thinkers and problem solvers

Patience and Creativity

• Tend to enjoy activities like writing, computer programming, graphic designing where we can spend time with ourselves
• Able to think rationally and not rush into situations
• Careful and reflective thinkers who can tolerate solitude that idea-generation requires

Self Motivated

• Find meaning in being self-aware
• Able to calm desires to be more focused and concentrated on what’s important

Autonomy and Independence

• Able to self-govern their actions
• Can live without relying on others

Problems Introverts May Need To Consider

High Sensitivity

• Tend to not work well in a fast-paced environment
• Find it hard to be comfortable when working in groups

Unassertive

• Let others bully and mistreat them
• Have fear to speak their minds

Protective

• Too protective of themselves that make it hard to open up to others and new experiences
• Find difficulties in changes with their routines and lifestyle

Misunderstood

• Hard to understand what goes inside their thoughts
• Can give off the wrong impression of shyness

Understand Who You Are

It’s important for us to know who we are. That way we can make better decisions that align with our core values and beliefs. Understanding that I am introverted and that there are many strengths from having better observation, better listening and more compassion towards others have been very eye-opening. However, we still need to recognize our weaknesses with being sensitive to our environment and being misunderstood. I’ve been trying to open up by writing these blog posts so I can remove the anxiety that comes from sharing my opinions. As wonderful as it is to live in our own world, we need to remember to face reality sometimes and let others know what we have learned and experienced during our isolation.

Resources

• The power of introverts - Susan Cain
• Who are you, really? The puzzle of personality - Brian Little
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking