Introvert or shy? Here's the explanation
Many experts believe that introversion is something a person is "born" with. They try to explain the main differences that exist between an introverted and a shy person because most people tend to confuse these two concepts. A specialist interviewed by BBC claims that being introverted does not necessarily mean lacking social skills.
Do you like to be alone sometimes, and people assume that you are shy? Do you think long before you speak, and your colleagues think you are insecure? If you reject an invitation to a party, do your friends think you're "weird"? With these questions, BBC unveils a text in which the difference between introversion and shyness is explained.
If the answers to the above-mentioned questions is affirmative, the reason could be that your personality leans toward introversion, which is something other than shyness. Although there are people who often confuse both and think they are synonymous. But it's not like that. More than the outside world, introverts "get energy from the ideas, images and memories that in their inner world", according to the Myers-Briggs classification, based on the principles of the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung and one of the most popular to determine the personality type. Introverts may seem reserved and reflective or give the impression that they act slowly, according to this typology. They enjoy being and doing things alone, like reading, for example. Jenn Granneman, author of the book "The Secret Life of Introverts" and founder of the digital community Introvert, Dear, shares a similar idea about introversion. "It's the preference for quiet, minimally stimulating environments," she tells BBC.
The brains of introverts are not "wired" to get the reward that extroverts receive when interacting with people, explains Granneman. "These people are more sensitive to dopamine, the neurotransmitter of 'well-being,'" she says, so "many social situations or highly stimulating environments can be mentally or physically exhausting for an introvert." Laurie Helgoe, author of "The power of introversion: why your inner life is your hidden force", explains to BBC that introverts like to think before answering. As a result, "the interactions in which there is space to reflect can be very pleasant for them", adds the psychologist. "While the conversations between extroverts can be like tennis matches." Introverts are not "asocial."
They can socialize, and they do it, only differently from extroverts. "They value deep and meaningful relationships, they love connecting authentically and sharing their ideas in a small group or in a two-way conversation," Granneman thinks. Shyness, on the other hand, explains this same author, "is the fear that people judge us negatively", in practically any social situation. "The timid ones feel quite uncomfortable and anguished in social interactions, especially with people who do not know very well," he says. "The shyness is rooted in fear, while introversion is simply a preference, and does not intrinsically involve nervousness or anxiety," she says. "For example, a shy person can avoid an event to establish professional relationships because the idea of meeting new people seems stressing (even if he/she really wants to go)," says Granneman. "However, an introvert could dodge the same event because he/she prefers simply to relax at home." Through this example is better to understand the most important difference from both.