Community Chat

[ROMARY]

I love, love being with myself!  I have more of a quiet disposition/demeanor.  It's just natural (for me).  Trying to be more extroverted just doesn't work (again, for me), looks 'phoney' to others, I'm guessing. 

[Annabellethecat66]

I guess if you had to put me in a labeled box you'd call me an extrovert.

That would probably be wrong.  I don't think of myself as either.  I have many times when I don't answer the phone for a few days (just let my family and friends know I'm alive).  I love people and I believe each person has a 'story' and I love hearing it.

However, my friends know that I like being alone, not talking to anyone.  I think an introvert enjoys their own company.  That would be me sometimes.  I'm not bored being alone.

I can sit and talk to people (and listen to them) for hours, and sometimes do.  My brother is an extrovert.  

I always say to people, "If you think I'm an extrovert, you need to meet my older brother.  He's a real extrovert.

If you put two extroverts together, one will be quiet and let the other one talk.  I think of extroverts as often people who think they have something more important to say than others.  I'm definitely not like that.

So, I say to you, many people are neither.  Under the right circumstances anyone can become either.  I talk to strangers all of the time.  It's interesting the things people tell me.  I figured out why.  Because I give some of myself to them.  I'm the one that says, "I know what you mean....bla bla" and mean it.

My dear friend is what some would call an introvert.  She hates small talk and I drive her crazy because I'll start talking to strangers and she wants to leave.  She's beginning to enjoy talking to people more and often joins in the conversation.  Maybe it's true, opposites attract.  I think she likes the way I am and I know I enjoy her company.  We compliment each other.

[Moonchilde]

@chickenbutt, since it's fairly common, I guess I'm lucky that I haven't experienced (that I know of, lol) the "stuck up" accusation. I've never been a willing party-goer (but love small intimate groups), but one-on-one, if someone approaches me to chat, I will chat back - some, anyway ;-) and as I've gotten older, I've gotten better at it.

Boy do I hear ya about the thinking before speaking! It was one thing that really handicapped me in my last workplace, as my boss was my polar opposite personality-wise and she never, ever "got" me, or even attempted to, in 17 years. If I didn't respond immediately, she had a tendency to believe I was fabricating an answer, i.e. lying, constantly. To her, if you had to think before speaking it could only be because you needed time to make your answer up. It was very frustrating!

[Moonchilde]

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@Preds wrote:

I've been told I'm an Extrovert ... I have a lot to say and will say it was always the way I was described.  Truth is ... I'm not.  I don't make conversation.  I respond, but not start a conversation. 

I would only respond when I had an opinion or question and would question the responses. 

DH is and Intro ... he doesn't like dealing, talking, or being with people.  It takes him a very long time to let them in.  After he has ... then he never shuts up. 

I think there is both in all of us.  Just have to figure out the key to turn it on or off.  

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Oh, I totally agree there is both in all of us. But most people are a lot more one than the other.

[LyndaGee]

Very true.  Since introverts tend to be less apt to talk about themselves, people often jump to conclusions and decide you are many things you are not.  Sometimes, they are disappointed when they find out we have strong opinions, are independent, and are not pushovers !!!

[Noel7]

I'm an extrovert but I am also an only child.  I enjoy being alone and I read a lot.  Similar behaviors with what you describe for yourself @Moonchilde

I guess I don't think there's much difference except maybe for how outgoing people are.

[MaggieMack]

A moonchild introvert here, too! I have people practically argue with me when I say I am an introvert because I have excellent social skills. They think introverts are uncomfortable if their head isn't buried in a book. And I can assure you, I AM an introvert and always test on the far end of the continuum.

Introverts are more common in the population than once thought. It's close to 50/50 I think. It just seems like there are more extroverts because, well, they are so extroverted!

My extrovert friends hate to spend time by themselves while I relish it. For me, if you ask someone how they recharge their inner battery, you can determine what they are by their answer. Introverts recharge by being alone, extroverts by being around people. Being around people too often just drains my little being.

[Elvita]

Still waters run deep. Nuff said.

[Moonchilde]

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@LyndaGee wrote:

Very true.  Since introverts tend to be less apt to talk about themselves, people often jump to conclusions and decide you are many things you are not.  Sometimes, they are disappointed when they find out we have strong opinions, are independent, and are not pushovers !!!

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Bingo! 😉

[AuntG]

The biggest change I've seen in attitudes towards introverts is in the workplace.  We had some extroverted upper management types that seemed to need attention and they tried to run the show.  The other thing these people did was "attempt" to read body language and that really backfired.  They told one lady in our office she had a bad attitude because she crossed her arms in front of her chest.  In reality, she had breast cancer and was never comfortable with how she looked after treatment.  That could have ended up before a human relations board but she wasn't going to fight with them over their inability to read body language.  It seems the new team has learned not to judge so quickly, and they seem to look for the good qualites in both the introverts and extroverts.