Introversion vs. Extraversion

In my Psychology of Human Relations class, we discussed one of the spectrums of personality: introversion vs. extroversion. One of the most interesting things about this subject is how people view it in society. It's likely that just about everyone has heard of these terms, but how many of those people use them as "shy" and "outgoing", or worse, "antisocial" and "social"? Though the world is becoming more friendly to the introverts, who used to be considered flawed for not enjoying parties, there is still an inherent misunderstanding about why they're introverts.

In general, people who understand introverts say that they're uncomfortable around people or become energized when alone. The underlying idea is that introverts don't really like people, or not enough to want to be with them. In reality, biology tells almost the opposite story. Scientists have shown that the biological responses to being around others—e.g. increased endorphins—give pleasure to people, who are then encouraged to seek out the companionship of others. Social people are obviously an example of this; they love being around people, and it makes them feel good. On the other hand, introverts are less likely to seek out companionship. This is not a matter of being unaffected positively by being around others, but rather being overaffected. Scientists theorize that introverts are oversensitive to the presence of others, and so what is a pleasurable experience to extroverts is too much of a good thing for introverts. It's not that they don't like being around people, it's just that their needs for companionship are satisfied by a much lower amount of time spent together, and being around a lot of people overstimulates them. They are also not energized from being alone—introverts can be just as lonely as anyone else—it's just that being alone helps them come down from the emotional "high" of being among others.

I found this research fascinating, especially because I am an introvert. I've never felt that I didn't like being around people, just that I didn't need to so often, so I definitely ascribe to this theory. As an introvert, I don't feel lonely when I spend hours and hours away from people, only emerging for meals and shopping and church—my social-emotional needs feel perfectly satisfied with these small levels of social interaction, so why would I want to spend more time around people? This is probably the best explanation for introversion that I have come across.