Introverts Aren’t Broken
People with introverted tendencies should not be made to feel ‘less-than’ those with extroverted tendencies. Society often assumes there is one ideal way to recharge, socialize, and engage with the world, but personality differences are not deficiencies. Society tends to favor one tendency over the other without any credit to biology, strengths, and how each recharges.
There is a biological difference that should be accounted for. Research suggests introverted and extroverted tendencies may process stimulation and reward differently. For those with introverted tendencies tend to have their reward center activated in situations that are reflective and peaceful whereas people with extroverted tendancies tend to have their reward centers activated in more social settings.
The personality trait of extraversion has been linked to the network of brain systems controlling sensitivity to cues of reward and generating approach behavior in response, but little is known about whether extraverts’ neural circuits are especially sensitive to social stimuli, given their preference for social engagement. Utilizing event-related potential (ERP) methodology, this study demonstrates that variation on the extraversion dimension is associated with the extent to which social stimuli evoke enhanced allocation of attention. Specifically, higher scores on extraversion were found to be associated with higher amplitudes of the P300 component of the ERPs elicited by human faces. This finding suggests that social stimuli carry enhanced motivational significance for individuals characterized by high extraversion, and that individual differences in personality are related to meaningful individual differences in neural responses to social stimuli. (Fishman I, Ng R, Bellugi U., Jan 2011)
People with introverted tendencies as well as people with extroverted tendencies have strengths. People with introverted tendances may to be able to ‘read a room’, engage in deep conversations, actively listen, and do deep analysis. People with extroverted tendencies may to be able to make others feel noticed, make conversations with more people, speak encouragement, and make fast observations. The understanding that each one brings strengths to any given situation is paramount.
Recharging is vital no matter what kind of tendencies a person shows. People with introverted tendencies may use time by themselves to recharge. People with extroverted tendencies may recharge around others. The absence of a recharge can contribute to exhaustion, overwhelm, or burnout.
Understanding that people with introverted tendencies are not less-than, shy, socially withdrawn or any other stereotype is a step forward. Biology, strengths, and recharging are all vital to understand in both tendencies. In the end each one is different but not less than or better than the other. Each one should feel good about who they are and how they were made. If they can embrace that and embrace their tendencies, they can be strong in the face of any other perception of themselves.
Works Cited:
Fishman I, Ng R, Bellugi U. Do extraverts process social stimuli differently from introverts? Cogn Neurosci. 2011 Jan 1;2(2):67-73. doi: 10.1080/17588928.2010.527434. PMID: 21738558; PMCID: PMC3129862.
