Introverts go to extreme lengths when avoiding people but Carl King perfectly reminded us that there’s more than meets the eye. “The problem is that labeling someone as an introvert personality is a very shallow assessment,” he wrote. According to the composer and filmmaker, it’s more complex than that.
“I’ve written a lot of stupid blogs on a whim, and never expected that 10 Myths About Introverts thing to be read by so many people,” Carl told Bored Panda. “It was surreal to get emails from moms asking me for advice with their kids’ personality types (I have no clue because I don’t have kids). Then there was the backlash, with people saying it’s all B.S. It seems like a polarizing topic that everyone can argue about. I was only writing about my own experience with this urban legend on introverts and glad it helped some people who identified with it.” The last time he checked the stats, the article had already accumulated over 2 million views on his website.
King wrote the list after discovering a book called, The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World, by Marti Laney, Psy.D. “It felt like someone had written an encyclopedia entry on a rare race of people to which I belong. Not only had it explained many of my eccentricities, but it also helped me to redefine my entire life in a new and productive context.”
“This personality definition hit me very hard,” Carl added. “It was important for me to read because I was under a lot of pressure at the time to be an extrovert, and just felt like something was wrong with me. It was easy to blame myself because all the people around me in Los Angeles wanted non-stop stimulation and partying, always going out, or always having people over. I felt like they were always thinking, ‘What’s wrong with Carl?’ The truth is, I love socializing. But when I’ve had enough, I should feel OK about going home.”
Carl highlighted a section of Laney’s book that maps out the human brain and explains how neuro-transmitters follow various dominant paths in the nervous systems of different personalities like Introverts and Extroverts. “If the science behind the book is correct, it turns out that Introverts are people who are over-sensitive to Dopamine, so too much external stimulation overdoses and exhausts them. Conversely, Extroverts can’t get enough Dopamine, and they require Adrenaline for their brains to create it. Extroverts also have a shorter pathway and less blood-flow to the brain. The messages of an Extrovert’s nervous system mostly bypass the Broca’s area in the frontal lobe, which is where a large portion of contemplation takes place.”
The book states that only about 25% of people are Introverts. “There are even fewer that are as extreme as I am. This leads to a lot of misunderstandings.”
More info: carlkingdom.com | Facebook | Twitter
Some people are praising the list
But others disagree
What do you think?
I would say introversion is a large spectrum and hard to define, the same with extroversion, and they often overlap. Some introverts express themselves differently to the point that a casual observer may deem them very confident, and some extroverts have a susceptibility to direct their attention inwardly, seeming shy. Online articles often seem to polarize, explaining things as black or white, whereas often it comes down to shades of grey, especially when it relates to the human mind. Its always more complex than we give it credit for
Very true. Many people at work think I'm shy and quiet (in their words). I met a lady at work who loves the Beatles like me though. And I just love to talk about it with her, and to ask/answer questions. A person walking by might take me for an extrovert.
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I could add that many introverts need some notice before changing plans. I have the hardest time with spontaneous changes. Maybe it's just me, though. :)
Another myth: introverts are just people suffering from depression and need therapy
There's nothing *wrong* with us, we don't need to be healed or fixed. We're perfectly fine just the way we are. Now, if only extroverts would let us be who we are in peace...
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It's the extroverts that are screwed up. All that mindless yakking, needless socializing,etc. Plus all politicians are extroverts. Introverts need to organize. Except that would mean meetings and needless socializing. Never mind.
And i agree! Extros are parasites of society. They feed on other people. Ha! Don't worry, Intros don't need meetings or 'organizing' as we're doing it right on BP and at the safety of our own home....very quietly.
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I get easily exhausted in parties. Talking with a lot of people and I hate staying long time in public places. I love going to the park and places with a lot of trees than a lot of people instead.
Me too...I just like looking at waves , feeling the wind and the sun. I go out like that all the time...I just stay away from huge crowds of unknown and unwanted people
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100% relatable! It feels weird how a stranger from another faraway country was able to sum up your personality in 10 short phrases... :O
That's so true. This is definitely how most extroverts see introverts. As an introvert, that's exactly why I hate how people say first impressions matter. Like, yeah, they do, but I need more time... ;-;
That's how my first employers got disappointed in me. I was such a great actress at the interview.
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This is largely accurate for me. I also was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome so that might make it fit more than people who consider themselves introverts but don't think all of these are applicable to them.
I have never read something that explains me to a T. I need to show my family. Maybe now they will get it I hope.
Who ever wrote this, I wanna hug them. Introvert can not just be defined by these. Nd everybody has there ways but it does answer a lot of main themes. And also mingles the nature of ambivert. And I m ambivert which makes this list perfect.
As an introvert, i'm very disliked for having different thoughts, here at BP and everywhere else. But some get deeply angered when they see that their hate doesn't bother me as they want to. I'm not a hypocrite; i won't tell you a lie even if you find it rude. I'm not a clone; i don't have to like what you do.
This is like looking in a mirror - I scored 10/10. All we need now is a dating site/app dedicated to the complexities of getting introverts together close enough and long enough to create fusion, and then we can rule the world! (Mwah ha ha haaa!)
(But only rule from the comfort of the couch and from behind a good book. Cat-on-lap though is mandatory...)
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I am a typical smarty snobby introvert and I can't trust someone writing "visa versa" (the correct spelling ia "vice versa") No, okay, I'm exaggerating now, but I don't think this list is wrong. A bit of generalisations, yeah, maybe, but the negative commenters were doing exactly what they were criticising the list for → going for the other extremes.
Oh, and the typos are a different kind of a mistake. Especially on a site that has no modify option.
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I consider myself to be an introvert but I have the sense to know that not all introverts are the same. I prefer my own company to the company of others. I am not fond of people in general but can tolerate most in small doses. A very few I actually like spending time with. This does not mean that I can't engage with others, just when given the choice I generally prefer not to. I find interacting with others emotionally exhausting. I am not shy, I am simply quiet and generally taking things around me in. I do not require being the center of attention. I have ended friendships with perfectly nice people simply because they can't understand that my primary need is for solitude
When will this extrovert/introvert trend end? God, this is so useless. Nobody gives a damn which one are you. Being an introvert doesn't make you a unique center of the universe and being an extravert doesn't make you more intelligent. Don't label yourself just because it's trendy.
I don’t like to talk, I am shy, and I don’t like going out in public. Am I in the minority here?
You're perfect. We have the right of being introvert AND shy. Also the right of hating people, being extrovert, introvrrt or whatever... :P
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It's nice to overcome these cliches...but isn't it weired to say that every introvert is like this or that? ...they are different like everybody else
Definitely me. It's a shame that people always misunderstand the word "introvert". It's a made-fun-of word. When in fact, it should be the opposite. The people I'm close to think I'm awesome and fun. People who are acquaintances probably think I'm nice yet dull, lol. Not true.
And a couple times a month, me and my husband get together with my brother-in-law and his wife, and a couple other friends to play videogames. I am very much myself and open during these "parties." See me at a public party, and I can't be open.
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As an introvert myself, I disagree with one myth; I do feel we can be perceived as extroverts at the right time. So yes, Introverts CAN be extroverts, but not necessarily all of them. And vice versa! People are amazing and flexible. There are never really solid rules for behavior when it comes to the wide section of people that exist.
We can't really change, though, and most of us don't want to. There are people who think I'm an extrovert, and I can fake it an hour at a time. When I get home from having a class with ten people for three hours, all I want is a nap.
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Actually I find a lot of introverts dislike people which is why we are always finding a pet to hang with if we are dragged to a party.
The thing about becomming an extrovert, is that we dont. But some of us introverts learn to fake extrovertism, because in some cases its easier.
The thing about us introverts, is that we some times fake extrovert behaviour because its kind of experted. And not all of us - I know this goes for me - is introvert all the time. It kind of depends on a lot of things.
I love the "cats" comment. I went back and replaced "introverts" with "cats" and it totally works!
Not everyone is going to fit a list as not everything can be an One size fits all.
i like real dialogue. most american dont know HOW to dialogue which means we actually....listen too.
Is it weird that i'm an introvert yet most of the myths apply to me? Especially Myth #1. No matter how much you try to talk about something i like i'll never talk.
Down-vote. Have to agree this is just an attempt at replacing one stereotype with another, not that it is all completely untrue.
The people disagreeing at the bottom made me mad uggggh On another note, this almost perfectly summed up me
Introverts can have those traits. It's full of generalities. I love being a nerdy introvert. I prefer the company of my pets to a bulk of the people I meet.
The worst part of "team work" is the final party. Whoopy doo, we finished the project - now I have to suffer through your lame party and pretend to have fun. Then the project is over for me.
It is a myth that extroverts are energized by being around people. Both introverts and extroverts recharge alone. The difference is extroverts enjoy crowds and stimulation for longer periods of time. Eventually, everyone crashes and needs alone time. Note: I am an extrovert with a daughter who is an outgoing introvert. She can "work a crowd" but wears out quickly and needs to get out quickly!
I TOTALLY agree with this list. My mother always wanted me to be a "social butterfly" why? We humans are all talking apes. In a free society (I'm a seriously lucky homo sapiens) why would I worry about what another monkey thinks? Sign me, Easily Bored.
Myth 11: Everyone's an introvert. It seems that when you read an article on introverts and extroverts, a good number of people proudly proclaim they're introverts. People seem to believe that introverts are deep people consumed by deep thought. Truthfully, there are very few true introverts and extroverts in the world. Most people are ambiverts. Introverted at times and extroverted at others. Also, I'm thinking lifehacker.com isn't the most reliable site for information on psychology. Odds are the author's previous article was on how to turn toilet paper tubes into pen and pencil holders
And no, people don't think introverts are deep. Most people I met believe introverts are, at best, shy ones, and at worst, weirdos.
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This is so accurate, and the part about either wanting to stay home or be out in nature rather than around most people is very much me. It's not something you can explain either, most people would just consider you antisocial or "stuck up," rather than accept that some of us just don't cope well or care for most social situations.....
I wouldn't call myself an introvert per say, but I do have social anxiety especially around crowds or meeting new people in general. I refuse to go to a party where I don't know anyone except the person inviting me and I am often flakey with plans in general when people want me to come out and be around others. I'm still an awesome, fun friend, but you're better with me one on one.
"introverts" aren't one thing. Also a huge percentage of the population are introverted. Its not like a special class venerable of people that needs to be protected and coddled.
Or maybe someone is classified as an introvert cause they haven't found people they get along with enough that shares their interests and way of thinking so they are really extroverts who are just pickier who to hang out with rather then just going to a party with people they don't have any chemistry with.
No. We just don't like being surrounded by people for ANY reason.
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I would say introversion is a large spectrum and hard to define, the same with extroversion, and they often overlap. Some introverts express themselves differently to the point that a casual observer may deem them very confident, and some extroverts have a susceptibility to direct their attention inwardly, seeming shy. Online articles often seem to polarize, explaining things as black or white, whereas often it comes down to shades of grey, especially when it relates to the human mind. Its always more complex than we give it credit for
Very true. Many people at work think I'm shy and quiet (in their words). I met a lady at work who loves the Beatles like me though. And I just love to talk about it with her, and to ask/answer questions. A person walking by might take me for an extrovert.
Load More Replies... I could add that many introverts need some notice before changing plans. I have the hardest time with spontaneous changes. Maybe it's just me, though. :)
Another myth: introverts are just people suffering from depression and need therapy
There's nothing *wrong* with us, we don't need to be healed or fixed. We're perfectly fine just the way we are. Now, if only extroverts would let us be who we are in peace...
Load More Replies... It's the extroverts that are screwed up. All that mindless yakking, needless socializing,etc. Plus all politicians are extroverts. Introverts need to organize. Except that would mean meetings and needless socializing. Never mind.
And i agree! Extros are parasites of society. They feed on other people. Ha! Don't worry, Intros don't need meetings or 'organizing' as we're doing it right on BP and at the safety of our own home....very quietly.
Load More Replies... I get easily exhausted in parties. Talking with a lot of people and I hate staying long time in public places. I love going to the park and places with a lot of trees than a lot of people instead.
Me too...I just like looking at waves , feeling the wind and the sun. I go out like that all the time...I just stay away from huge crowds of unknown and unwanted people
Load More Replies... 100% relatable! It feels weird how a stranger from another faraway country was able to sum up your personality in 10 short phrases... :O
That's so true. This is definitely how most extroverts see introverts. As an introvert, that's exactly why I hate how people say first impressions matter. Like, yeah, they do, but I need more time... ;-;
That's how my first employers got disappointed in me. I was such a great actress at the interview.
Load More Replies... This is largely accurate for me. I also was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome so that might make it fit more than people who consider themselves introverts but don't think all of these are applicable to them.
I have never read something that explains me to a T. I need to show my family. Maybe now they will get it I hope.
Who ever wrote this, I wanna hug them. Introvert can not just be defined by these. Nd everybody has there ways but it does answer a lot of main themes. And also mingles the nature of ambivert. And I m ambivert which makes this list perfect.
As an introvert, i'm very disliked for having different thoughts, here at BP and everywhere else. But some get deeply angered when they see that their hate doesn't bother me as they want to. I'm not a hypocrite; i won't tell you a lie even if you find it rude. I'm not a clone; i don't have to like what you do.
This is like looking in a mirror - I scored 10/10. All we need now is a dating site/app dedicated to the complexities of getting introverts together close enough and long enough to create fusion, and then we can rule the world! (Mwah ha ha haaa!)
(But only rule from the comfort of the couch and from behind a good book. Cat-on-lap though is mandatory...)
Load More Replies... I am a typical smarty snobby introvert and I can't trust someone writing "visa versa" (the correct spelling ia "vice versa") No, okay, I'm exaggerating now, but I don't think this list is wrong. A bit of generalisations, yeah, maybe, but the negative commenters were doing exactly what they were criticising the list for → going for the other extremes.
Oh, and the typos are a different kind of a mistake. Especially on a site that has no modify option.
Load More Replies... I consider myself to be an introvert but I have the sense to know that not all introverts are the same. I prefer my own company to the company of others. I am not fond of people in general but can tolerate most in small doses. A very few I actually like spending time with. This does not mean that I can't engage with others, just when given the choice I generally prefer not to. I find interacting with others emotionally exhausting. I am not shy, I am simply quiet and generally taking things around me in. I do not require being the center of attention. I have ended friendships with perfectly nice people simply because they can't understand that my primary need is for solitude
When will this extrovert/introvert trend end? God, this is so useless. Nobody gives a damn which one are you. Being an introvert doesn't make you a unique center of the universe and being an extravert doesn't make you more intelligent. Don't label yourself just because it's trendy.
I don’t like to talk, I am shy, and I don’t like going out in public. Am I in the minority here?
You're perfect. We have the right of being introvert AND shy. Also the right of hating people, being extrovert, introvrrt or whatever... :P
Load More Replies... It's nice to overcome these cliches...but isn't it weired to say that every introvert is like this or that? ...they are different like everybody else
Definitely me. It's a shame that people always misunderstand the word "introvert". It's a made-fun-of word. When in fact, it should be the opposite. The people I'm close to think I'm awesome and fun. People who are acquaintances probably think I'm nice yet dull, lol. Not true.
And a couple times a month, me and my husband get together with my brother-in-law and his wife, and a couple other friends to play videogames. I am very much myself and open during these "parties." See me at a public party, and I can't be open.
Load More Replies... As an introvert myself, I disagree with one myth; I do feel we can be perceived as extroverts at the right time. So yes, Introverts CAN be extroverts, but not necessarily all of them. And vice versa! People are amazing and flexible. There are never really solid rules for behavior when it comes to the wide section of people that exist.
We can't really change, though, and most of us don't want to. There are people who think I'm an extrovert, and I can fake it an hour at a time. When I get home from having a class with ten people for three hours, all I want is a nap.
Load More Replies... Actually I find a lot of introverts dislike people which is why we are always finding a pet to hang with if we are dragged to a party.
The thing about becomming an extrovert, is that we dont. But some of us introverts learn to fake extrovertism, because in some cases its easier.
The thing about us introverts, is that we some times fake extrovert behaviour because its kind of experted. And not all of us - I know this goes for me - is introvert all the time. It kind of depends on a lot of things.
I love the "cats" comment. I went back and replaced "introverts" with "cats" and it totally works!
Not everyone is going to fit a list as not everything can be an One size fits all.
i like real dialogue. most american dont know HOW to dialogue which means we actually....listen too.
Is it weird that i'm an introvert yet most of the myths apply to me? Especially Myth #1. No matter how much you try to talk about something i like i'll never talk.
Down-vote. Have to agree this is just an attempt at replacing one stereotype with another, not that it is all completely untrue.
The people disagreeing at the bottom made me mad uggggh On another note, this almost perfectly summed up me
Introverts can have those traits. It's full of generalities. I love being a nerdy introvert. I prefer the company of my pets to a bulk of the people I meet.
The worst part of "team work" is the final party. Whoopy doo, we finished the project - now I have to suffer through your lame party and pretend to have fun. Then the project is over for me.
It is a myth that extroverts are energized by being around people. Both introverts and extroverts recharge alone. The difference is extroverts enjoy crowds and stimulation for longer periods of time. Eventually, everyone crashes and needs alone time. Note: I am an extrovert with a daughter who is an outgoing introvert. She can "work a crowd" but wears out quickly and needs to get out quickly!
I TOTALLY agree with this list. My mother always wanted me to be a "social butterfly" why? We humans are all talking apes. In a free society (I'm a seriously lucky homo sapiens) why would I worry about what another monkey thinks? Sign me, Easily Bored.
Myth 11: Everyone's an introvert. It seems that when you read an article on introverts and extroverts, a good number of people proudly proclaim they're introverts. People seem to believe that introverts are deep people consumed by deep thought. Truthfully, there are very few true introverts and extroverts in the world. Most people are ambiverts. Introverted at times and extroverted at others. Also, I'm thinking lifehacker.com isn't the most reliable site for information on psychology. Odds are the author's previous article was on how to turn toilet paper tubes into pen and pencil holders
And no, people don't think introverts are deep. Most people I met believe introverts are, at best, shy ones, and at worst, weirdos.
Load More Replies... This is so accurate, and the part about either wanting to stay home or be out in nature rather than around most people is very much me. It's not something you can explain either, most people would just consider you antisocial or "stuck up," rather than accept that some of us just don't cope well or care for most social situations.....
I wouldn't call myself an introvert per say, but I do have social anxiety especially around crowds or meeting new people in general. I refuse to go to a party where I don't know anyone except the person inviting me and I am often flakey with plans in general when people want me to come out and be around others. I'm still an awesome, fun friend, but you're better with me one on one.
"introverts" aren't one thing. Also a huge percentage of the population are introverted. Its not like a special class venerable of people that needs to be protected and coddled.
Or maybe someone is classified as an introvert cause they haven't found people they get along with enough that shares their interests and way of thinking so they are really extroverts who are just pickier who to hang out with rather then just going to a party with people they don't have any chemistry with.
No. We just don't like being surrounded by people for ANY reason.
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