12 Signs you are Secretly an Introvert Person
Introvert! A stereotypical introvert may be the one at the party who’s hanging out alone by the food table fiddling with a phone, but the “social butterfly” can just as easily have an introverted personality.
People are frequently unaware that they’re introverts – especially if they’re not shy – because they may not realize that being an introvert is about more than just cultivating time alone.
When an introvert cares about someone, he/she also wants contact, not so much to keep up with the events of the other person’s life, but to keep up with what’s inside: the evolution of ideas, values, thoughts, and feelings.
Spotting an introvert can be harder than finding one because a lot of introverts can pass for extroverts.
Here are the signs that show you are secretly an introvert:
1. You find small talk incredibly cumbersome
Introverts are notoriously small-talk-phobic, as they find idle chatter to be a source of anxiety or at least annoyance. For many quiet types, chitchat can feel disingenuous.
2. You go to parties – but not to meet people
If you’re an introvert, you may sometimes enjoy going to parties, but chances are you’re not going because you’re excited to meet new people. At a party, most introverts would rather spend time with people they already know and feel comfortable around.
3. You often feel alone in a crowd
Ever feel like an outsider in the middle of social gatherings and group activities, even with people you know? That shows you’re an introvert.
4. You’d rather be an expert at one thing than try to do everything
The dominant brain pathway introverts use is one that allows you to focus and think about things for a while, so they’re geared toward intense study and developing expertise.
5. You’re easily distracted
While extroverts tend to get bored easily when they don’t have enough to do, introverts have the opposite problem — they get easily distracted and overwhelmed in environments with an excess of stimulation.
Extroverts are commonly found to be more easily bored than introverts on monotonous tasks, probably because they require and thrive on high levels of stimulation. In contrast, introverts are more easily distracted than extroverts and, hence, prefer relatively unstimulating environments.
6. Downtime doesn’t feel unproductive to you
One of the most fundamental characteristics of introverts is that they need time alone to recharge their batteries. Whereas an extrovert might get bored or antsy spending a day at home alone with tea and a stack of magazines, this sort of down time feels necessary and satisfying to an introvert.
7. When you get on the subway, you sit at the end of the bench – not in the middle
Whenever possible, introverts tend to avoid being surrounded by people on all sides.
We’re likely to sit in places where we can get away when we’re ready to — easily. “When I go to the theater, I want the aisle seat or the back seat.”
8. You start to shut down after you’ve been active for too long
Do you start to get tired and unresponsive after you’ve been out and about for too long? It’s likely because you’re trying to conserve energy. Everything introverts do in the outside world causes them to expend energy, after which they’ll need to go back and replenish their stores in a quiet environment. Short of a quiet place to go, many introverts will resort to zoning out.
9. You’re in a relationship with an extrovert
It’s true that opposites attract, and introverts frequently gravitate towards outgoing extroverts who encourage them to have fun and not take themselves too seriously.
Introverts are sometimes drawn to extroverts because they like being able to ride their ‘fun bubble.
10. You’d rather be an expert at one thing than try to do everything
The dominant brain pathway introverts use is one that allows you to focus and think about things for a while, so they’re geared toward intense study and developing expertise.
11. You screen all your calls – even from friends
You may not pick up your phone even from people you like, but you’ll call them back as soon as you’re mentally prepared and have gathered the energy for the conversation.
12. You notice details that others don’t
The upside of being overwhelmed by too much stimuli is that introverts often have a keen eye for detail, noticing things that may escape others around them. Research has found that introverts exhibit increased brain activity when processing visual information, as compared to extroverts.