Top ten myths about introverts

I thought i'd share this list I stumbled upon. I think this would be accurate for alot of folks here on ATS.
I know plenty of folk here at work think I'm weird because I typically have absolutly nothing to say to these people, because all they seem to to talk about all day is Call of Duty. For some reason however, I seem to be always surrounded by loud, obnoxious extrovert, especially in relationships. But I feel it helps balance everything out in the end.

Mods move or edit if needed.

I hope this helps

Top ten myths about introverts
Myth #1 – Introverts don’t like to talk.
This is not true. Introverts just don’t talk unless they have something to say. They hate small talk. Get an introvert talking about something they are interested in, and they won’t shut up for days.

Myth #2 – Introverts are shy.
Shyness has nothing to do with being an Introvert. Introverts are not necessarily afraid of people. What they need is a reason to interact. They don’t interact for the sake of interacting. If you want to talk to an Introvert, just start talking. Don’t worry about being polite.

Myth #3 – Introverts are rude.
Introverts often don’t see a reason for beating around the bush with social pleasantries. They want everyone to just be real and honest. Unfortunately, this is not acceptable in most settings, so Introverts can feel a lot of pressure to fit in, which they find exhausting.

Myth #4 – Introverts don’t like people.
On the contrary, Introverts intensely value the few friends they have. They can count their close friends on one hand. If you are lucky enough for an introvert to consider you a friend, you probably have a loyal ally for life. Once you have earned their respect as being a person of substance, you’re in.

Myth #5 – Introverts don’t like to go out in public.
Nonsense. Introverts just don’t like to go out in public FOR AS LONG. They also like to avoid the complications that are involved in public activities. They take in data and experiences very quickly, and as a result, don’t need to be there for long to “get it.” They’re ready to go home, recharge, and process it all. In fact, recharging is absolutely crucial for Introverts.

Myth #6 – Introverts always want to be alone.
Introverts are perfectly comfortable with their own thoughts. They think a lot. They daydream. They like to have problems to work on, puzzles to solve. But they can also get incredibly lonely if they don’t have anyone to share their discoveries with. They crave an authentic and sincere connection with ONE PERSON at a time.

Myth #7 – Introverts are weird.
Introverts are often individualists. They don’t follow the crowd. They’d prefer to be valued for their novel ways of living. They think for themselves and because of that, they often challenge the norm. They don’t make most decisions based on what is popular or trendy.

Myth #8 – Introverts are aloof nerds.
Introverts are people who primarily look inward, paying close attention to their thoughts and emotions. It’s not that they are incapable of paying attention to what is going on around them, it’s just that their inner world is much more stimulating and rewarding to them.

Myth #9 – Introverts don’t know how to relax and have fun.
Introverts typically relax at home or in nature, not in busy public places. Introverts are not thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. If there is too much talking and noise going on, they shut down. Their brains are too sensitive to the neurotransmitter called Dopamine. Introverts and Extroverts have different dominant neuro-pathways. Just look it up.

Myth #10 – Introverts can fix themselves and become Extroverts.
Introverts cannot “fix themselves” and deserve respect for their natural temperament and contributions to the human race. In fact, one study (Silverman, 1986) showed that the percentage of Introverts increases with IQ.

(Source: carlkingcreative.com)

That's quite true of me really. I'm just forced to act like an extravert due to constant pressure and social expectations.

reply to post by AdamAnt


Introverts sound like great people! I'm biased though, I've been told since a child that I am too introverted.

Peace.

Great list. I know I have been called arrogant and aloof in the past, and really, I'm just an introvert. I think a lot of extroverts think that if we don't jump to the mic we are rude or indifferent. I also like close, small chats, not big group chats which become superficial and shallow.

Introverts unite!

I had just posted this over on the thread about the relation of money to empathy. It's relevence here, speaks of my introversion.

I am (and I use this word very deliberately)>extremely......non social, which has contributed to relegating me to poverty. (Howard Hughes, -became- cloistered, but was not always so?) And one on one encounters with people is problematic for me. Sometimes, it's not good.
But......My sheer hatred for unjust suffering in this world, makes me lose sleep at night. I always wish there was a world lottery in the jiggagillions, and I won it, I'd make sure as much as I -possibly- could, to ensure the eradication of despair everywhere.
I'm really odd, I guess.

Well, all your items listed are totally right on. I just do not get the need for (you can call them neurotypicals or socials) to be in my space, it just freaks me out. And the societal stuff like, asking how I am, and instilling a pause, until I (or someone) answers,....the right way. Or grinning and greeting me on the street when I don't know you, or holding the door open for me when I am 10 feet away. It just MAKES ME NUTS. I WANT to go out in public on a nice day.......and NOT be affronted with that kind of societal norm stuff. Yeah, I am not shy, and I don't care what anyone thinks about it. At all.

im an introvert but also an adrenaline junkie

I'm to mercurial to be labeled either way.

I always knew something was a little off about me..as I was reading this I kept saying to myself..this is me, and this is me..lol...wish everyone I'm forced to deal with would read it and take it into consideration when dealing with me.

reply to post by 9Milz


Your post made me laugh. Sometimes I sit and watch Youtube videos of those guys in high mountains wearing those flying squirrel suits, jumping off cliffs. It's just --unbelievable-- . I also like to watch vids of the world's highest and most dangerous swings! Pretending I'm there.

You're fighting stereotypes with stereotypes. It's taking bad stereotypes and replacing them with good ones.

Majority of introverts have a few of those "myths", along with a good chunk of non-introverts. And not all of those "non-myths" apply to every introvert too.

Of course, everyone has an introverted side and an extroverted side. Just because someone has one side bigger, doesn't make them have any other traits too.

~
If I were writing the article, I'd make it about how to understand these people, whose minds work different. Not just taking the negative assumptions, and making good assumptions instead, but instead making no assumptions and knowing how to see from a different persons mental perspective

You know, I don't think I started as an introvert. Honestly, I was always a loud obnoxious kid who talked too much.

Now, I'm 26 and I keep to myself and my thoughts. Everything on that list describes the way I am now. I wonder... it's amazing. Is becoming an introvert an awakening of the mind? Or is it simply just oneself growing up mentally?

I mean srsly, like, 5 years ago i wuz typing lyke dis an dat. I wud go out to partiez all da time an try to hook up wit da hotties up in thur.

Okay, typing/talking like that makes my head hurt. Five years is a lot of time, but not enough for me to comprehend how much more knowledge I have gained since my behavior has changed. About 3 years ago I started to understand things a lot faster. It came out of nowhere, like a burst of knowledge. I now stay at home 95% of the time that I am not at work, and I do a lot of reading, gardening, and video gaming.
Adrenaline for me is good when it comes, I do not seek it.

I always get invited out by my co workers and the few friends that I have. The idea sounds exciting, but as I process how the night out would go, I instantly lose interest and decide that it would be more fun to stay at home.

So many questions, so little time to focus.

I was always considered shy as a child, but it turns out I'm an introvert.

Near enough everything you've written describes me....but at least i'm not the only one.

It all sounds about right! I'm definitely an introvert INTJ on the Briggs Meyers....however for survival, I have honed my sales skills and make an attempt at extroversion. It never really pans out for me though...just can't fake it I guess! (get your mind out of the gutter guys) LOL!

I am a good listener and interject my opinion when asked!

reply to post by DBCooper71


Wow! DB Cooper...you were just in the news!

Anyway, I hear you...I was told quite often that I was shy or "just too sensitive" when I was a child. Or I had to fake emotion when deep down I knew it was trumped up drama that I wanted no part of....I guess you see where I am going.

I lived right next door to the public library...guess where I spent most of my time!

Defiantly describes me. When I've taken personality test I come out nearly falling of the introvert side of the chart.

One thing that frustrates me is trying to find useful information on things like careers, relationships, etc., that is geared towards introverts. Networking, for example, is fine for most people but sometime introverts may appear..... maybe forced or fake. It's asking them to do something against their nature and it doesn't always work well.

I guess that goes with myth # 10. The solutions offered are "just be more extroverted".

Great post OP...

I too am an introvert... but the crazy thing is I'm more talkative than most extroverts and people often mistake me for being the dominant extrovert of the group... if only they knew what I'm expressing is just the tip of the ice berg

reply to post by Nastradamus


I guesss your an enigma!

great post....I can cosign on mostly all of those tendencies. I have been an introvert since childhood. It sucks that we are often bully and douchebag magnets simply because we don't often "go along to get along".

Awesome. As an introvert I agree with every single one of those points. There is a lot of common sense in that and it's good for an extrovert to read to understand how an introvert thinks.

Great post, and thank you!

I am completely introverted, and I have been since I was a child. It took me a long time to become ok with that - I used to force myself to be extroverted and more 'socially acceptable' and subsequently ended up in a depression, which I only came out of once I accepted that it was ok to be the way I was.

I have lost count on how many of my neighbours and family friends have expressed concern for my well-being, or flat-out told me I was depressed and needed help. These were based on the fact that I rarely go out, and when I do it's late at night. I'm young, but I don't party or surround myself with others, and I rarely come out to talk to people like the rest of the neighbourhood. It's gotten under my skin because I have struggled with depression in the past, and now that I am out of it and finally happy and comfortable with myself, people think there's something wrong with me I find I am constantly explaining to people that I am genuinely happy - being introverted doesn't mean 'depressed'.

Maybe I should print out this list and pin it on my door