The clever folks over at Caveman Circus have put together a few handy memes showing what it is like being an introvert in a highly extroverted society, and I have to say, they are uncannily accurate:
The thing to remember about introverts is that we are not, for the most part, shy. We just don’t like other people very much.
For extreme introverts in particular, this makes many things in life quite challenging- and nothing for us is more challenging than dating, since most of us absolutely hate loud and crowded venues full of strange people. Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done about this- it is a simple fact of life in any society that, if we want to have romance and sex in our lives, we have to go to the places where the opposite sex gathers.
But damn it is painful.
Also, for those of you who are extroverts and have introverts in your life, I have a few words of advice to offer you in case you are trying to figure out why we are… well, so freakin’ WEIRD:
The problem isn’t us. It’s you.
Hope that helps!
4 Comments
So true!!!
The funny thing about a LOT of us introverts is that we DO, in fact, need personal interaction… just like everyone.
It's just that, unlike extroverts, other people DRAIN our social bar instead of filling it. We just get our fill of others very, very quickly…and then we need time to 'cool off' and reset our meter.
But that doesn't mean we hate company, we simply do not revel in it.
All of that is true. There are few things more draining and taxing for an introvert than loud crowded spaces with full-on social interaction.
However, a deep conversation on different topics of interest to us with a knowledgeable and witty person is not draining at all. It is one of the best ways for us as introverts to pass time.
The trouble is that such people are extremely rare and unusual- and tend to be highly introverted themselves. So finding them is a real challenge.
Oddly enough, I like hanging out at somewhere like a coffee shop, and enjoy the energy, the noise, etc., and not talk to anyone.