In social situations, when you see a person that’s quiet and shy you automatically assume they are introverts because they tend to keep to themselves. When you see a loud person talking and being the center of attention you assume they are extroverts. However, these common associations are not the real definitions of what these personality traits mean. It’s also not fair to stereotype people and choose who you want to be friends with based on these few traits because they don’t accurately describe who the person is overall.
Introvert
An introvert is not just a quiet and shy person. It’s a good listener, very observant, and trustworthy person. In fact, it’s possible to even be a loud introvert. Introverts are people that tend to keep to themselves because that’s how they get their energy from. They prefer being alone but do like to spend chunks of time with other people. Generally, they prefer to not have attention on themselves and would rather blend in than stand out. A famous example is J.K. Rowling who is known for the infamous Harry Potter series that is known around the world. She is a concise speaker but considering that all her books are around 500 pages long has a lot in her head to talk about.
Extrovert
Extroverts can be known as loud, high-energy, and talkative people. They get their energy by interacting with other people and would prefer to spend most of their time out with other people doing activities than inside at home. They don’t mind being the center of attention and are able to talk more to keep conversations going. They tend to be risk-takers and don’t mind not conforming. They are social and friendly. An example is Jimmy Fallon, a famous talk show host, known for his funny sketches with celebrities such as Ew with Ariana Grande, games like SlapJack, and funny stand-up comedy that has earned him over 11 million subscribers on YouTube.
Ambivert
There are also ambiverts who are a mix of both of these personalities where they may be good listeners as well as talkative. They may spend a lot of time with their friends during the week and hang out by themselves on weekends because they prefer me time. They may be friendly and reserved and it all depends on the day.
Embrace Your Personality
Regardless of what your personality is, you shouldn’t be ashamed of who you are. I personally hated being known as a quiet person because since I was shy, it was harder to make friends because I was great at listening but didn’t talk a lot. However, realizing that I don’t need the whole class to be my friend and that 3-4 friends are just as good as 10-15 as long as they are genuine and match your personality, changed how I viewed myself. In fact, by embracing my personality, I became friends with like-minded people and was able to make friends with other introverts. It’s great because we both have each other to talk to so we are not by ourselves all the time and when we want alone time, the other person doesn’t mind it either.