If introverts got 10 bucks for every time someone asked them that, they would have enough to go on a world trip. Because that's how they are
Illustration/Uday Mohite
'Why are you so quiet?' If introverts got 10 bucks for every time someone asked them that, they would have enough to go on a world trip. Because that's how they are. They don't ask others 'Why are you so noisy?' No. Because it's rude. The challenge of being an introvert in a loud world, where your mettle is defined and decided by how much you speak, is indescribable. People have actually asked on Google - 'Is it a bad thing to be an introvert?' and 'How to stop being an introvert', and that's heartbreaking. Introversion is not being shy, timid, meek or weak; it's having a brain wired differently, that functions differently, that processes everything around it differently. And different can be normal too, if you let it.
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Expert explanation
Dr Sagar Mundada, psychiatrist practising at Bhabha Hospital
'Introverts shouldn't be confused with the asocial. They choose to speak when required, their default mode being keeping to oneself. We don't expect a tiger to hunt in a pack, nor a wolf to not hunt in one... these are natural variations in nature, and the same holds true when it comes to different personality types'
Dr Avinash Desousa, consulting psychiatrist
'Introverts may find it difficult to express themselves to others verbally and may be ridiculed for their slowness to socialise. But they are far more level-headed; and it's because they may take it slow when it comes to taking crucial decisions, they are better in decision-making jobs, because they are less impulsive and more rational that extroverts.'
Worlds inward
Ambiverts: The in-betweens, experiencing both worlds with the right balance, as found and explained by psychologist Adam Grant (and others). Grant characterises ambiverts as being ambivalent about social situations - sometimes enjoying the company of others, but also enjoying being alone at times.
HSPs (Highly Sensitive Persons): These people have psychologists Dr Elaine Aron and husband Arthur Aron to thank, who have helped to make people aware and understand the science behind what you might call "too sensitive". The scientific term is sensory-processing sensitivity; simply put, HSPs have hypersensitivity to external stimuli, a greater depth of cognitive processing, and high emotional reactivity.
Empaths: This lot comprises those who put themselves in other's shoes, quite literally. They have the ability to "feel" what someone else is feeling, sense the energies (shakti or prÄÂu00c2u0081na) that people around them emit, and even absorb them; in other words, they internalise others' emotions, whether good or bad, and are said to be extremely sensitive to others. On the flipside, this ability can also leave them drained and wrung out, and they can have trouble differentiating between their pain and that of others.
Misconceptions
Shraddha sawant, graphic artist
'People think I am a snob. The general perception, I have realised, is that because I talk less I must be stuck-up and consider people to be beneath me, which obviously isn't true. And this makes my social and professional interactions tougher; because I know what people are likely to think, I push myself to be chatty, which, by nature, I am not, and the effort takes a lot out of me'
Eliza D, journalist
'I am in a profession that doesn't allow much scope for introversion, but I manage to strike a balance. The thing, though, is people don't understand how much I love silence; they take it to mean that something must be wrong, whereas I am merely in my own world, perfectly content and comfortable with the quiet. I don't think there's always the need to fill it (silence)'
Brain scan
Among the things that differentiates introverts from extroverts is how they respond to the neurotransmitter dopamine - the chemical that gets one excited to go after rewards (money, promotion, social status, sex, love, etc.) The dopamine system becomes more active in extroverts to pursue rewards, while in introverts, it's much less when it comes to such pursuit, giving the impression that they are less enthusiastic or not as driven. Extroverts also have more dopamine activation when they connect with other humans. In other words, introverts don't require as much social interaction in order to feel good as extroverts do. Also, research has found thicker prefrontal cortices in introverts as compared to extroverts, which is associated with deeper thought and planning - suggesting that introverts are less impulsive than extroverts.
A few textbooks
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
The Introvert Advantage by Marti Olsen Laney
The Secret Lives of Introverts by Jenn Granneman
Introvert Power by Laurie Helgoe
(And for some fun) Introvert Doodles by Maureen 'Marzi' Wilson
Log on (for some help)
>> Introvertdear.com
>> Quietrev.com
>> Introvertlife.com
>> Thecreativeintrovert.com
1921
Year Carl Jung introduced us to 'introverts' and 'extroverts' in his text Psychological Types
Inputs/Rupsa Chakraborty
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