Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
Do you often spend your weekends curled up with a good film, bowl of popcorn in hand or do you race to the clubs after a long week at work? Do you prefer holidays where friends invite friends or are they best kept to the people you know well?
You might already know whether you’re more introverted or extroverted, the answers to the previous questions being clear as day, but either way, how our brain responds to rewarding activities such as these says a lot about you as a person.
Not many people are strictly introverted or strictly extroverted as we might have thought – we all exist somewhere on the spectrum, leaning more towards one side than the other.
If we take a look back, these terms have existed only since 1921 when Carl Jung coined these words. Before that, defining human personality traits had various names – when discussing human personality Immanuel Kant (a philosopher in the late 1700s) described four very distinct temperaments: Sanguine (carefree and hopeful), Choleric (proud and hot-headed), Melancholic (anxious and thoughtful), and Phlegmatic (reasonable and persistent).
Psychologist Hans Eysenck proposed that the difference between introverts and extroverts was that they simply had different levels of arousal. No no, not the sexual kind. He referred to how our minds and bodies respond to stimuli. His theory was that extroverts have a lower basic rate of arousal, meaning that extroverts need to work harder to arouse their minds. Studies have actually shown that there is a difference in our brains that determines whether you are extroverted or introverted.
Introverts tend to recharge themself by spending time alone whereas extroverts recharge their energy by being around other people.
Introverted people are known for thinking things through before they speak, enjoying a close- knit group of friends, and one-on-one time. They can also sometimes become upset by unexpected changes or last-minute surprises as they have not mentally prepared for how this might drain their social battery. It is often believed that introverts avoid social situations and are considered shy however this is not necessarily the case – many introverts relish in their social time with friends, they just need some alone time after being out in big crowds.
On the opposite side, extroverted people draw their energy from being around people. They need this time in big crowds to keep their social battery fully charged. They often make decisions quickly and take on more of a leadership role. They make themselves known to others, speaking louder and clearer and using hand gestures and body language to their advantage.
- Respect their need for privacy and alone time.
- Let them observe and get their ground in new situations
- Give them the time they need to think and process things.
- Give them advance enough notice of any changes to events.
- Don’t put pressure on them to make new friends or enter new situations if they aren’t comfortable.
- Respect their independence.
- Understand when they say they are busy.
- Accept and encourage their enthusiasm.
- Allow them to explore and express themselves.
- Offer them options rather than a set time and place.
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