Introversion

[planet planet]

I thought I was an introvert. As it turns out, I'm just boring.

I guess, if being massively intelligent is boring.

[MrCrowesGarden]

Well, I'm very friendly, thank you very much. If given time you might get a chance to see that. But I appreciate having the pressure put on me to change instead of you.

If something about your personality is making you unhappy isn't it on you to try and change instead of asking the rest of the world to accommodate you?

That goes out to all the introverts, not just clevername.

Nothing about my introversion makes me unhappy.

But I don't find it right that in every exchange, I have to be the only one to cater to extroverted needs. It should be a two-way street. It rarely is.

It does bug me when someone, randomly, says something like "shy people miss out on so much," like it's some cross we have to bear. I don't think I'm missing out on much, and if I am, screw it, I'm happy.

[MrCrowesGarden]

Having too much of it in your personality sucks. It's a major social hindrance and can also be a significant professional and career hindrance.

I don't think it has to be a career hindrance, if you acknowledge your tendency to be introverted and choose your profession accordingly.

When my introversion used to bother me, it was mostly because I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to please everyone. This especially got to me because I wanted a career in broadcasting. Then I learned that both David Letterman and Johnny Carson were fairly extreme introverts. They realized that it's impossible to please everyone, and hearing that helped me realize it's just easier to be plain ol', introverted me.

I can't speak for Cronos, but I don't think introversion necessarily has to be an obstacle to any profession.

[sighyoung]

I'm an introvert. I always thought extroversion or introversion depended upon whether being with people energized you, or exhausted you.

People exhaust me.

My daughter's an extrovert. She's like an electron when people come over to visit, bouncing all over the place and literally shaking with energy.

I don't know how this genetic mutation took place.

[clevername]

Well, I'm very friendly, thank you very much. If given time you might get a chance to see that. But I appreciate having the pressure put on me to change instead of you.

If something about your personality is making you unhappy isn't it on you to try and change instead of asking the rest of the world to accommodate you?

That goes out to all the introverts, not just clevername.

Nothing about my introversion makes me unhappy.

But I don't find it right that in every exchange, I have to be the only one to cater to extroverted needs. It should be a two-way street. It rarely is.

It does bug me when someone, randomly, says something like "shy people miss out on so much," like it's some cross we have to bear. I don't think I'm missing out on much, and if I am, screw it, I'm happy.

this.

[ThatGuy]

Well, I'm very friendly, thank you very much. If given time you might get a chance to see that. But I appreciate having the pressure put on me to change instead of you.

If something about your personality is making you unhappy isn't it on you to try and change instead of asking the rest of the world to accommodate you?

That goes out to all the introverts, not just clevername.

As others have said, it's not so much about being unhappy. I'm not unhappy with my personality in the least - as a matter of fact, I'm awesome. It does seem, though, that people who aren't introverted view people who are introverted as flawed or weird, as if it's a personality trait that should be fixed or altered somehow (I know I'm generalizing here - there are obviously exceptions). I can see how being reclusively shy would be a bad thing (obviously), but simply being an introvert is not weird or strange. I can be friends with and interact with just about anybody, but anyone who suggests that I should "come out of my shell" or "be more outgoing" is probably going to be on my [expletive] list. I have no problem doing new things and meeting new people, but we don't all do it in the same way.

I guess just live and let live.

[Bo Hart]

I've always labeled myself as an extrovert with introverted hobbies.

[InvincibleCakeEater]

I'm much more introverted than extroverted and have noticed that it seems like I get depressed a little easier than most folks. However, I guess I kind of embrace my depression. Hard to explain, and I don't really know where I'm going with this... but yeah, I'm more of an introvert.

[Cronos]

As others have said, it's not so much about being unhappy. I'm not unhappy with my personality in the least - as a matter of fact, I'm awesome. It does seem, though, that people who aren't introverted view people who are introverted as flawed or weird, as if it's a personality trait that should be fixed or altered somehow (I know I'm generalizing here - there are obviously exceptions).

Were I to live in a relative vaccuum, I wouldn't be unhappy with my personality either(not saying you are living in a vacuum, mind you. I can't think of a more logical construction for this sentence). I agree with your second sentence completely, also.

Living in a world tailored for extroverted personalities, however, makes me feel like I'm missing something when drives and motivations for the majority of people simply don't exist in me or don't exist nearly as strongly. It, quite frankly, makes me feel like there's something significantly wrong with me. For example: were it not for popular opinion or influence by the mass media, I would feel nothing wrong at all with spending the majority of my Friday/weekend evenings at home, alone. But the constant message and influence from other sources begins to turn feelings of apathy into feelings of weakness and ostracization, and that inevitable label: "Loser".

[Arthur Dent]

I thought I was an introvert. As it turns out, I'm just boring.

Embarrassingly nice things

I was (sort of) kidding, but you know the old maxim, "If you're bored, it's because you're boring"? I spend a lot of time being bored.

I believe that personality is not so immutable as we think. Many of the things we think of as being part of "personality" are actually skills that can be learned. By treating these things as an aspect of personality, we improperly stigmatize them.

For my part, I haven't figured out what to do with myself most of the time, not so much because of the old hang-ups, but because I really don't have good ideas.