Have
you ever felt that you would much rather stay home and work on the
coding problem that's been driving you crazy for the last week (it's
always the missing “;”) or read a good book instead of going to a
big party? Do you love your friends dearly but
sometimes you just don't want to speak to any of them? If you've
answered yes, at least once you might be an introvert.
Merriam
Webster Dictionary defines introversion as “the
state of or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned
with and interested in one's own mental life”.
Introverts have also been described as “people
whose energy tends to expand through reflection and dwindle during
interaction”.
Here
is a visual aid:
I've
been introduced to the subject in 2012 when browsing for TED videos I
hadn't seen yet. I stumbled upon a video by a little known at the
time author – Ms. Susan Cain.
I
have to admit the word introvert had some negative connotations for
me. It brought to mind an image of an asocial recluse. I will be the
first to admit that it was just ignorance on my part.
I
really like this video. Just by observing the manner in which she is
speaking you can tell she has described herself accurately as an
introverted person.
What
do you think about the speech? Do you relate in any way to the
stories she told? I know I do.
I've
purchased her book (which I wholeheartedly recommend), did some
additional research and generally felt better about some of my
introversion induced actions.
Fast-forward
to the present day and if my various social feeds are any indication,
the subject has gained a lot of steam in recent months.
You
can also easily observe the increased popularity in Google Trends:
For
years the interest was fairly stable but then something started
happening. You can see the volume of searches quadruple between 2008
and 2013. What do you think brought about the sudden spike in the
interest in this topic? Also, I think the real question here is what
in the world happened in August 2013?
There
is also
a
rise in searches for “extrovert” , albeit not as sharp. If you
dig deeper though, you can see that it stems from people searching
for the differences between the two.
As
an aside let me put the increased interest in context:
More
people talking about what it means to be an introvert generated some
interesting trends. If you regularly spend at least some time on the
internet (the part filled with memes and cats) you've surely seen
images like this:
and
many others like it. Being quiet is therein equate to being smart and
thoughtful. I think it's not necessarily untrue in many cases but the
gross generalization is definitely present.
Everything
I wrote about above is brilliantly summarized in this PBS video:
He
makes a great point that there is a wide range of human personalities
and people cannot be described by placing them on either of the two
points representing extroversion or introversion.
In
the spirit of the above I invite you to take the Myers-Briggs
Personality Test. Here you'll find a limited, free version.
As
a poor man's version of taking the full test and having it
professionally interpreted you can google the result and get some
interesting articles. Who knows, you might learn something new about
yourself today:)
Here
is a quick cheat sheet:
What's
your result? Do you think it describes you accurately?
Have
you noticed more people describing themselves as introverts in your
circles?
Thanks
for your time.
Good post, Sebastian!
ReplyDeleteI have pretty much the same "wow" impression after I saw for the first time Susan's Ted talk.
And then I took MBTI test at work , which in my case quite accurate.
I think we see a raising interest in those topics, because people try to understand themselves better and explain (even for themselves) motives of their actions at work and at home.
What is important to remember is that MBTI and such metrics are only showing your natural predisposition. It does not mean you cannot change it.
On my personal example, being an introvert I naturally like to work on my own (its just more comfortable for me). But nowadays you just cannot work on your own, you must work in a team to achieve greater success, so I trained myself to be a team player and so far it works quite good.
Do you guys know how knowing your colleagues MBTI type could help you in daily work ?
I'm able to tell what characteristics my team mates have – you may usually see how do they behave and guess.. In my room I've got 2 introverts (including me) and one extreme extrovert. Looks like it's a good balance so far :) Our extrovert never let us get bored and is very entertaining, but we're also able to "force" him to be quite when we need it :)
DeleteDaniel, you've made a very good point about not being able to work on one's own and be successful. How did you go about training yourself to be a team player?
DeleteThe very common thing nowadays is to arrange offices in an open plane. It's supposed to promote cooperation. Do you guys have any experience working in an environment like that? I myself found it made me paranoid that there is always someone standing behind me:)
Sebastian great topic. I really like the picture with "what I think/what I say" it's so true. Friends of mine say I often don't say anything, maybe because I fill that often people do not understand what I meant. Some of them where wondering how do we get in touch with my husband as be both are the same.
DeleteI find open-space is a terrible place for an introvert, my company was changing the office location lately I was really terrified with the thought they will want to change the small rooms (3 persons in one room at most) into open-space - fortunately they didn't. I cannot imagine working on an open-space with all these people talking around me I feel then like everyone is watching me. From my point of view the most productive days in my work are the ones I a) work from home b) am sitting alone in my room in the office.
Iza, I couldn't say it better (as an introvert). In my last job I shared my room with only 2-3 people, and still the only way for me to do anything more complex than sending an e-mail was putting my trusty headphones on and cutting off from surroundings with some music (although in general I prefer working in silence).
DeleteI really can't imagine myself in an open-space office. As an introvert I need to feel cosy and comfortable to be productive, so nearly all the time spent in work and commuting I have my headphones on - just as Albert said - to cut off from other people.
DeleteSebastian, Would you please share a link to the Susan’s Cain book? Would like to take look. When it comes to your article I think getting to know: who we are? what our our strengths, capabilities and characteristics etc. is crucial to be happy. I’m sometimes disappointed with my instinctual behaviors and automatic actions. But getting to know myself let me understand why I do thing in a certain way and change them if I need it.
ReplyDeleteI’m also an introvert, maybe not “entirely” and not all the time but need to be alone from time to time working on my own stuff. I’m exhausted when spending too much the time with other people, don’t like to speak to strangers and feel uncomfortable when other’s attention is focused on me. But the truth is in daily life I have to face all of those situations. So I treat them as challenges and try to learn from my more extrovert colleagues. Often I analyses their behaviors and calculate if it’s worth emulating... If the answer is “yes” I experiment. Have to say it usually brings terrific results, cause people (maybe not all, but most of them) instinctively like open and extrovert people... Have you ever tried to be more extrovert? I’m not saying you have to – I’ve seen the Ted movie :) – I’m just curious...
I bought the book for my kindle here (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quiet-power-introverts-world-talking/dp/0141029196/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382540289&sr=8-1&keywords=susan+cain ) I'm pretty sure it can be obtained in other, shall we say less legal ways, but I wouldn't know anything about that ;) Plus who wouldn't want to buy the book and support the lady from the video!
DeleteI really like your analytical approach. Especially treating your automatic impulses as challenges rather than submitting to them. How is it going for you? Does it get easier with practice?
It shows that you know your strong and weak sides. And knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom as some rapper or someone said once.
I tried to avoid explicitly talking about myself in the post but to answer your question I'm an introvert in the sense that I recharge to be able to enjoy people rather than enjoy people to recharge. I mean, generally I don't come off as quiet or shy (or I certainly hope I don't:)). There are times when I'm the drink_with_random_Aussies_in_hostels_and_talk_to strangers_on_the_plane dude. But there is always a point where I just need to shut up and read a book for a day or five. I've always been like that but couldn't put a label on it. That's why I liked the TED talk so much, I've found my people:)
The book was also translated to polish (Ciszej proszę) and it's available both on paper and as an e-book. I've read it in english (after watching Cain's TED talk, just like Sebastian) and was amazed by in how great degree was the book about me. That's why I'm glad there is the polish version to recommend to my non-english-reading friends.
DeleteSebastian, Since we're talking about women in Magda's topic – do you happen to know what is the percentage of introverts/extroverts in women and men populations?
ReplyDeleteThe best I could find was http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&id=1927-01998-001 .
Delete"The subjects were students at the University of Minnesota, and the instrument of measurement was Freyd's list of 54 introvert traits. The data gathered show that under the conditions of this study there is little or no difference between men and women in introversion and extroversion."
That's from the abstract. If any brave soul is willing to pay 12 bucks for the full text I'd be interested to see what the "conditions of this study"
were.
Also, it's a bit surprising to me. From personal experience I would've guessed that women are more extroverted in general. Another stereotype then I guess:)
What's are the proportions in your circles?
In my circle of friends most of them are extroverted. I feel good when they are around. From what you have presented and from my own research I have found myself to be in the middle between extrovert and introvert. I like to be sometimes in the chaos of creation when lots of information are floating around me and people talk with me, and there are some days that I just want to close my doors and don’t let anyone through. Sit in a chair with a cup of coffee and solve some very hard problem without any interaction with other people.
DeleteSlawek, I think I have exactly the same situation. I really like to going out with people who are extroverted. It always makes such meeting more interesting - these people have a lot of ideas, subjets to discuss, etc. And to be honest I think such people sometimes can make introverted people more opened for the world.
DeleteI'm also in the middle. Sometimes I have so much energy that I have a feeling I'll explode and I have to share this energy with other people. On the other hand sometimes I just need to be alone with my thoughts. Then I can even turn off my phone and I really don't care what's going on outside my bed.
Just wanted to add that being introvert not always means that I don't like going out with friends or spending time with others - I do but not too often and when I do I rather listen than talk. I think that Introverts express theriselfs in many different ways usually not visible for others...
DeleteIza, you're spot on. Introvert doesn't have to be a lonely person, shutting him/her-self away from the world. After reading all the descriptions and analyses, I could call myself an introvert, but I like being with extroverts, as I enjoy listening people talking all kinds of things (I not only enjoy wise or funny conversations, but also stupid ones - guess that's my deviation of some sort :) ). So the main thing which doesn't apply to me as an introvert is getting tired by interaction with others, unless they try to directly 'force' their beliefs or opinions (which I'm opposed to) towards myself.
DeleteI found this article very interesting - great topic, many different kind of info (it's great that more and more people enjoy listening to TED). Loved the "Guide to understanding the introverted! I did the test as well and got "ISTJ", which combined with the fact that I'm workaholic, represents me quite well. According to what Daniel L said - "being an introvert I naturally like to work on my own" - I completely agree with that attitude. I also like to sit alone and work, especially in the night, when it's more quiet outside, but for me it doesn't mean I cannot be a team-mate in terms of working in a group. I don't have to socialize with colleagues, talk with them a lot, I can simply do my job, organize my day, get the feedback and do my work the best I can without expressing myself on everything. But I think it depends on the kind of job you have.
ReplyDeleteAbout the topic of the article itself - I have always had a little sceptical approach to all character and personality tests. Most of us have the tendency to make ourselves look better in those. I'm guessing(it's only an assumption) that many, who took the test, subconsciously tried to pick answers to be called 'an introvert' in the final result after reading the article and watching the video attached. It's nothing bad, everyone likes to be seen as a good friend/lover/worker based on personality tests. It's not my cup of tea to be honest – that kind of attaching labels, but if that kind of stuff helps anyone become a better person, have more self confidence or just lift one's spirits - go for it!
Good job Sebastian, in my opinion, the best article so far!
I'm sorry to say Sebastian that I actually enjoyed reading of this article :). I personally had some problem with the test. there are no doubt about first three INT letters. But then I stuck in the middle at the last one, and as I think about it there are no way around, so INTx it shall be.
ReplyDeleteI have one probably controversial opinion about introverts. Even though they are closed, in their lets say hamster ball. They also have something deep inside, that call them to express themself, because knowing that there is a lot that they can offer, so they know their value, but are affraid to show it, because that would ruin their reputation of the outsider, which can in conclusion lead to stripping them of their protective bubble, or worse put their theories open to criticism. That leads to creation of the mask, that provides us some kind of protection - "normally I wouldn't have done it" - explanation to ourselfs, but in fact this is something that you really wanted to do.
In movies we have even phisical masks that are easier to interpret, grotesque film from 1994 The Mask or more modern and glowing Iron Man. Let me say that Robert Downey Jr plays introverts in various different films, which in my opinion comes to him naturally, probably because he is one, and beeing an actor is his mask that allow him to express himself, like many others in this proffesion.
That's all true, but...what is so controversial about your opinion? :)
DeleteControversial for introvets, uncovering their hidden urges :D
DeleteI'm truly an extrovert! I feel more energized when there are many people around me, when we can work together and achieve something as a group. I prefer to go out and talk with someone rather that sit alone - it often depresses me. From the results of the test I learned that I'm dominant extraverted feeling type. It corresponds mostly with what I think about myself, especially the part about relationship. I'm sure that my mood depends in many situations on the relations with other people, my family and friends. On the other hand I often feel the need to help others, to support and comfort them.
ReplyDeleteI must say that quite often I meet people who describe themselves as introverts. Well, I can understand their feelings, but I cannot imagine behaving like them. For all I know, the Internet helped many people to become more social, they can still sit alone in their rooms but at the same time feel more self-confident "talking" to others via the Internet. But (there is always a but!) there is a threat that introvert will become more withdrawn in 'real' life, because spending too much time online will make it more difficult for them to live their life.
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DeleteI feel that you don't really understand the meaning of introversion, as you mixed up characteristics of extroversion in it.
DeleteI feel like you need to clarify the meaning of the terms introverted and extraverted. And remember that nobody belongs strictly to one cathegory.
DeleteFrom my point of view if someone is an introvert in real life they will also be an introvert on an internet, there is no difference for me, I really enjoy reading articles or discussions but I usually don't take part in these.
DeleteWhat about those people that are really active in internet and shy and quiet in real life? Should we identify them as introverts or extroverts? I think that internet is great place for trying to be more open, people can fell more anonymous here. In the other hand there is nothing wrong in being introvert, trying to be more social using internet is just an option, if someone doesn't feel the need of doing this and feels happy with that style of life there is no point of changing it.
DeleteIn my case everything depends on situation, usually I'm rather an extrovert, I need people around me, working or just spending time alone kills my willingness to act. As a contrary, I use Internet mainly to search for some information or to contact with people but for particular cases, "being social" is normally minimized.
yoshi - I think there is a difference between being shy and being an introvert.
DeleteAn introvert person doesn't have to have problem to meet with others, it's usually matter of how people see an introvert - in most cases they think this person is mean, rude, unfriendly, arrogant - what is not true, the person is simply closed inside their own thoughts, considering what can be said and what cannot, if it will be fine or not, and it the person will understand what they wanted to say or there will be misunderstanding and they will be considered rude...
I had already wrote about hiding behind the mask earlier.
DeleteInternet is perfect for this kind of activity. Nonetheless, personally I have major problem, when I have to communicate, no matter if it is anonymous or not.
You are all right, from some point of view, as would Obi-Wan said. Extroverts tend to think that introverts are social unfriendly, cannot live correctly with their emotions or generaly have problems with expressing to others, commonly connected with being shy (as already been said). Of course this state is way wrong, as the introverts just do not feel talking and "doing hand waving" - I mean they always think what they say (think a lot!) and not say what they think. However, it is true that they often like to work in rather smaller groups than a bigger ones, thats why it seems they have troubles while working with bigger projects with a lot of people. Being in the middle of chaos (popular mind storm) is not always the greatest idea to overcome a problem - but to get some ideas. This is what Kasia said at the beggining - feeling a lot of energy working with people around and it is great, while we keep in mind previous sentence. I personally believe, while there are a lot of 'energy-type' guys, when facing the problem it will be very hard to finalize it with success - they sometimes can have too much energy :)
DeleteSebastian,
ReplyDeletethank you for your good work. I've never attached importance to terms as introversion and your article gave me reason to look into it a bit deeper. That's some nice portion of knowledge, especially concerning whole "team work" topic. It's nice to hear there are people talking about it in slightly different manner as "team play is the most important thing ever". I would always say it's a good management, that gives the most of the team. Not their social abilities, as they can be learned over pretty short time in well managed environment.
And that whole "open space" crap. At my work we transferred to big open space year and a half ago and there's almost no one in the company still thinking it was a good idea. Groups consisting of 4-8 people don't really need constant sound and vision contact with over 70 people on one floor. It's hard to work, hard to talk, hard to concentrate, hard to create task-related atmosphere in a team. As open space is cheaper than the other forms of setting up an office environment, our chairman really believed it is the best option ever and it will take the company into new age of team building.... and at last, he was disgruntled about "open space plan" outcome as well.
The trend of openspace work environment is really not understandable today, where companies are putting bigger emphasis on employees' comfort etc. In my previous job, I was working in pure openspace setting: team leaders, analysts, developers, graphics' designers, testers and call center guys (sic) all in one room. And a kitchen right around the corner. It was bad... just bad.
DeleteNow I'm placed in a semi-openspace environment - big room divided into segments, where you could barely hear your neighbourds, except for occasional burts of laughter. That's perfect for me, I'm sitting with 6 people and I don't have to talk when i don't want to. And some random passer-by can't stare into my screen :)
I understand that companies want to save money on the space, so if they can save some space=money, they're putting many people on the open-space, what is not comfortable, specially in the companies in which employes are spending time talking with the rest of the world.
DeleteI cannot agree with your statements :) I have worked within both types of office and I must say, when you have great people around, having open-space is a great idea, you got all people around when you need them. It is a very useful for projecting the systems or solutions, while working in smaller groups is better at focusing on taking care a couple of single problems or working on bigger projects.
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ReplyDeleteSebastian, this is a great text! It was pleasure to read it. As a matter of fact my wife and I we both are introverts. We feel stressed when we have to meet somebody new, in a larger group we do not speak loudly too often, we prefer to listen, and just like you, we choose to stay at home and do our private stuff. Some time ago I have started to wonder whether I should make myself more "social animal", because our society values highly extraversion. And a reason I consider that is a widespread belief (but not necessarily true) that people who are outgoing and full of energy are more interesting, simply better. Calm, shy or self-contained people are often perceived as unadjusted freaks. But then my wife advised me to watch Susan Cain’s (an American writer and lecturer) speech about introverts, and after seeing that I no longer have impression that I am somebody worst just because I am an introvert.
ReplyDeleteSo nice to see so many introverts in this group!:) I’ve always felt like I’m in minority, thanks to Sebastian post I now know I’m not! Maybe that was because extraverts are so extroversive you just feel that there are many more of them then there really are.
ReplyDeleteHappily my life partner is an introvert too, so I don’t have a problem in regenerating in home - often we spend time together just sitting side by side on a sofa, each one absorbed in their own business. I wonder if relationship between introvert and extravert is possible - what do you think?
As for social contacts - I’m frequently considered as unpleasant and bored by the people I meet for the first time - just because I prefer to listen not to talk they feel like I don’t want to spend time with them. Fortunately when we begin to meet more frequently, they often start to realize what’s happening and why I don’t speak that much.
This is quite interesting post. I didn't know there is such a thing like introvert or extrovert. Now that i know.. it made me try to classify myself. And I have to say that is not as easy like i would think it would be. I say that because I think I am a little bit of both... and to make it more interesting it also depends from a day. There are days that i feel more like introverter, those days I prefer to stay at home and cut out from everyone else. This days I spend doing work and resting from everything. However there are days when i feel like i have to go out, see my friends or perhaps start a new friendship with totally stranger person that I seat next to in a bus. I am pretty sure that is not a behaviour of an introverted person. But I also have those days when i will seat next to someone and never say a word. Kind of like doctor jekyll and mister hyde. I wonder how would they classify me :). Hope that it wouldn't sound nothing like "mental illness syndrome" or anything with "mental" or "illness" within the sentence.
ReplyDeleteToday I’ve done the test titled Personality exactly who are you ? Introvert or Extrovert?
ReplyDeletehttp://funtestiq.com/personality/personalitytest39.shtml
The result was that I’m on the Introvert side. I reckon that the result was correct. I can call myself an introvert. Being alone gives me a chance to think and figure things out. I do not like talking with people about my problems, for sure they have their own problems. I prefer to release my emotions during playing squash instead of wasting sb’s time. What is more, I’m not an outgoing person so I don’t have a tendency to talk with people directly if I don’t know them very well. My privacy is very significant for me. Although I am an introvert I still enjoy meetings with extroverts. Majority of my friends are extroverts and they feel free to talk about everything to everybody.
Enjoy the test ;)
I also consider myself an introvert. Don't get me wrong. I love interacting with people. I'd hate to have a job that doesn't require interaction with other people. But on the other hand I need time alone, to unwind, regenerate. Even when I'm very busy, I know I need to reserve some time for just being with myself - reading, thinking, listening to podcasts, coding. When I'm with other people I feel best in small groups, with people I already know.
ReplyDeleteStill, going back to one of the points made by Susan Cain in the video - I don't actually believe introverted kids are more likely to hear complaints about their behavior from teachers and other adults. Extroverted, active children get their fair share. I was generally liked by my teachers, because (besides being a smart kid) I was not likely to cause them problems. It can be extremely difficult for some extroverted children to function properly in our outdated educational system. For one thing most times they are barred from interacting with their peers during lessons - not a problem for me as a introvert, but a huge issue for some extroverted people. When they don't succeed in behaving like an introvert and being quiet, they are called "bad" or "unruly". I really do believe some of my extroverted friends had it worse. We need to change out school system, but not just to make it better for introverts, but to make it better for people in general. We seemed to forget as a society that people are diverse and have different needs. And that it's a good thing.
I would use some tips on how to be an introvert and still have good relations with people. I love my close friends, enjoy spending time with them, but still more often than not I need to pull back, get home, spend some time with me to cool off. I realize that some people may feel pushed away by my behaviour, or just confused - it's sending "mixed signals" after all. So, being an introvert I would love an "Introvert's guide to other people" as this is the hardest part for me.
ReplyDeleteI personally didn't finish the test - the questions were too simple and predictable.. and I strongly believe that such a test cannot perfectly describe a preson. Example? I strike up conversations with strangers quite easily but still prefer to work in quiet place (most of the time), I think people are basically good and trustworthy (q.12) but I keep my secrets in my own mind ;)
ReplyDeleteThe last question really makes me think that this is just a not well-considered test:
You shake people's hands whenever there is a chance.
I believe that this question True equals being extrovert was the intention but for anyone who meet a lot of people (like customers) this is just a stupid behaviour (keep in mind international differences!) - this is not always a great idea, while this gesture can be thought as an offensive one - and no, it does not mean that person who think about it is an introvert. It means that the person knows when to be a introver and when there is a time to be effusive to others.
(I just got info that we acctually should do week three now - and I have few minutes to write it. So please be forgiving.)
ReplyDeleteMy result showed me that I'm on introvertic side, but I'm assuming it changing now so I believe I'm going to extravertic side. What is quite supprising is that since I was a small child I would talk all the time but I was a strong introvert. It sounds like a contradiction, but somehow it worked with me. I was afraid of new people, but after I got to know them I would be very social.
I don't have any data to have the knowledge if more of my friends are introverts or extraverts, but I get along ok with all of them. Other people are good company on different times and its good to change envrioment from time to time.