Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Heidi at Rainy Day Ramblings in order to discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging (and some slightly more personal matters thrown in for good measure). While Heidi is on an extended hiatus, there are five of us who are hosting it and providing the questions. The current team is composed of Berls at Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen at That's What I'm Talking About, Karen at For What It's Worth, Linda at Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and Roberta at Offbeat YA. This week's question is...
ARE YOU AN INTROVERT OR AN EXTROVERT?
First off, what are we talking about here, exactly? I found a couple of articles that help understanding how an introvert and an extrovert's mind work:
Now, I may probably fit better in the introvert camp (I go as far as to being socially anxious in certain situations, though that, according to the article above, is a different thing altogether) if being an introvert means that "your idea of a good time is a quiet afternoon to yourself to enjoy your hobbies and interests". Except, if extroverts are people who like "to communicate by talking" and "to talk about thoughts and feelings", I am that way too! And if someone invited me to a party, I'd be more than happy to go and dance my heart out (umm...maybe not the latter anymore, but only because this old body probably wouldn't cooperate 😫 😅). So I suppose you could say I'm in the middle...also because, while I do enjoy quiet time and "me" time, it's not like they're always a choice on my part...they're largely a consequence of my home problems and the limitations that come with them. I do like to spend time with my books and my blog and my TV shows (and my music once, except it took a back seat lately, after years of me being a radio personality...I have rejection crisis LOL), but I wish I could go back to having a life outside of them, which simply isn't possible anymore 😢.
Well, that's it for now. Did you enjoy this post? Would you like to participate in the meme on a regular or semi-regular basis, and get emailed the prompt list? Just head over here and fill in Jen's form! (Of course, you can jump in anytime you like - you are under no obligation to actually do all the posts, or even most of them, just because you signed up, and you can remove yourself from the list at any time). And if you're interested in participating in a more casual manner, or only in commenting, here is the TMST prompt list for the rest of May and the month of June:
- May 25th: What books are you looking forward to reading in Summer 2021 (June - August)?
- June 1st: Share some of your favorite LGBTQ books
- June 8th: Best character jobs: what are some jobs characters have had that you loved or would like to do?
- June 15th: What type of reviews do you find helpful in choosing (or avoiding) your next read?
- June 22nd: What’s your favourite form of media (apart from literature, that is)? (a question I submitted)
- June 29th: Midyear update: what have you been up to? (which I renamed Halfway Through: A Midyear Recap, in order to be consistent with my previous midyear posts)
I'll be back on June 22nd, because as usual, my next weeks are hectic enough, and though I would like to participate in more TMST rounds (I was especially interested in the June 1st and June 15th topics), I can't even answer my own question sometimes LOL. Sorry about that! Anyhow, I'm looking forward to your answers and I'll most certainly comment on them!
Now tell me something...are you comfortable around other people? or do you prefer your own company?
Parties are my idea of a nightmare. I am firmly introvert. It's so exhausting when I have to people. Sort of love working from home, alone, and not have to do the daily chitchat. I'm awful.
ReplyDeleteLOL, you could always go to a party and dance and not talk to anyone. But I understand feeling at ease working from home. You're not awful!
DeleteI'm definitely an introvert. Like you I can get very socially anxious in situations, and because of that, I usually prefer being alone. But sometimes I wonder if fear made me an introvert. Because if I'm with people I'm comfortable with, I never shut up! I thrive off of being with my cousins and extended family, it's just strangers that kinda freak me out.
ReplyDelete"But sometimes I wonder if fear made me an introvert. Because if I'm with people I'm comfortable with, I never shut up!"
DeleteI think it happens everyone, more or less. Some of us are chattier than others (*raises hand*), but it's not necessarily fear that makes introverts out of us when we are among strangers. It's perfectly normal to be a lot more outgoing when one is with family or friends 🙂.
I'm 100% Team Introvert lol
ReplyDeleteI can handle short bursts of interaction but it drains me and I'm always happier if I had done something on my own.
Karen @ For What It's Worth
At least we can be all safely extrovert on the internet! 😉
DeleteThis is the first time I've seen that middle ground kinda enunciated- yes maybe we're nt all necessarily one or the other, but somewhere in the middle at times? Or both. I do consider myself an introvert (extended social interaction tires me out, I like to recharge by myself/ in a quiet way) but
ReplyDeletetalking about thoughts and feelings, as you put it- yeah I enjoy that too!
"I do like to spend time with my books and my blog and my TV". Same.
Maybe we should hang out in real life and be ambivert together LOL. It's a pity we're in two different states...
DeleteHaha right? We'd get along. :) I feel like we're all somewhere on that spectrum of introvert-extrovert or somewhere in the middle, and if you're with the right people or likeminded people it's almost like BEING an extrovert. But in other social situations- yeah, I'd be an introvert lol. Hanging out with friends? Fine. An office party? Noooo :)
Delete"if you're with the right people or likeminded people it's almost like BEING an extrovert."
DeleteLOL, right! And an office party doesn't sound like something I'd enjoy either. Also because the conversation would probably steer towards work! 😣 😂
As far as I understand it, introverts give energy in social situations and eventually need time alone to recharge because being around others becomes exhausting. Extroverts get energy from social situations. I always used to be so confused until I found that sort of explanation, because I was an outgoing introvert, so I was always like,"I need alone time to recharge, but I also like going out and being around people!" But being around people did exhaust me, and I've always needed that time alone to just recharge.. Sorry about the things you miss though :-/
ReplyDeleteThat explanation is very helpful! According to it, for instance, I'm more of an extrovert than an introvert, because I don't find it exhausting to be around people - but I do love my quiet hobbies. "Outgoing introvert" is a really nice label 🙂.
DeleteThank you - me too about yours...💚
Sounds like you are in the middle! That's actually a good compromise - you can handle being alone when necessary but sounds like you're really fun at parties too. Oof, I can relate to rejection crisis. Let's just say nothing can put you off reading like having to read some of the worst works in my life for my job. I'm an introvert with some extrovert qualities. I'm very shy in real life and vastly prefer being alone to being with others or at parties - but, even though I'm tense, I love spending time with people I'm close to or new people. And I love public speaking and performing spoken word poetry and plays.
ReplyDelete"Oof, I can relate to rejection crisis. Let's just say nothing can put you off reading like having to read some of the worst works in my life for my job."
DeleteOh my 😂. Yeah, I can imagine! Poor you.
You're doing a great job with being "an introvert with some extrovert qualities". As I told you in my comment under your public speaking post, I really admire someone who's got the guts to talk in front of an audience, no matter how little. In a way, a selected group of people is even worse than a large group, because you're literally face-to-face with them. That's a wonderful gift you have, but it takes strength to pull it off 😀.
You sound like me. I like quiet time to myself but maybe I like to talk to people less about thoughts and feelings, I rather talk about books and movies and other things. I like my books too and my sometimes blog and I do watch tv and movies. People are fun but not if they are too much into talking, by that I mean, when they talk about things I don't care about.
ReplyDeleteActually, I'm a nervous wreck around people in general. You can't tell by my blog because I'm too much of an extrovert over there. In person, I don't do a lot of talking. According to the two links you've provided, I'm not an extrovert and yet I'm not an introvert either. But maybe it's better not to define ourselves for ether one.
I really should do some TMST posts, I kind of forgot about them because I get my reminders about it when you post a TMST post, yeah, I'm that lazy.
Have a lovely day.
Talking about thoughts and feelings takes having the right people to talk to, so it's understandable if you don't do it much. It's not like I do it either, because I don't have that kind of friends, but I would love to.
DeleteYou can still do your post the day after and call it "Tell Me Something Tuesday on a Wednesday" or whatever. Karen above does it all the time LOL.
Yes you are ambivert :D
ReplyDeleteHa! You and Berls taught me a new word 😉.
DeleteWell to tell the truth I'm an introvert but I also have a personality disorder called, Schizotypal Personality Disorder which makes me a little strange. lol It makes being in social situations really uncomfortable for me. I have a lot of friends online but none irl. I'm just not very personable face to face. So I'm definitely an introvert.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, your comment didn't get lost! It's only that, for some reason, I never receive email notifications of your comments - never once 👀 - I only see them if I open the "Waiting for moderation" section.
DeleteI looked up SPD and I get what you're saying. It must be difficult to be with other people at times. If it's any comfort, my friends are all online too...
Completely understandable. I'm glad you found my comment though. lol
DeleteIt is uncomfortable to be with people at times. I try to just stick with my family who understand what they're getting if they come over. Online friends are the best though. I've met a lot of great people.
Same!
DeleteYes! this is me.... I really do enjoy being social, but for only so long and I do prefer quiet nights home more than going out. The older I get, the harder it is for me to have the energy for being social.
ReplyDeleteI think most of us bookworms lean more on the introvert side, plus of course for some of us there's the age issue! 😩 LOL.
Deletei tend to accept party invites in the hopes of being more sociable and then, the day of, I spend all day dreading the party. The party itself is a grey area, sometimes I have a really nice time, others I watch the clock for a polite escape. So yeah, introvert here.
ReplyDeleteHaha, at least you try!
DeleteI am such an introvert. Being around people 100% drains me. My husband and I are complete opposites - I always call him the social butterfly at parties and I'm the girl that finds the family pet and hangs out with it the whole time. I find it so difficult to interact with others and I've basically gone through my whole life being called a bitch because I'm quiet and keep to myself. After a party or even just having friends over, I need to hide for a while before I socialize again lol
ReplyDelete"I'm the girl that finds the family pet and hangs out with it the whole time."
Delete😂
"I find it so difficult to interact with others and I've basically gone through my whole life being called a bitch because I'm quiet and keep to myself."
Goodness, that's super-harsh. It shouldn't be so difficult to tell a quiet or shy person from a stuck-up one.
I definitely think of you as more of an extrovert. I love that you'd "dance your heart out" if you could!
ReplyDeleteI'm full of surprises 😉 😂.
DeleteI've always had a hard time deciding whether I'm an introvert or an extrovert too. Like you, it seems like it depends on circumstances. When I was younger I would have called myself an extrovert, but I definitely find myself drained in social situations as I get older.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
It makes sense that we're getting less extrovert as time passes...it takes energy to recharge!
DeletePeople often think I am an extrovert but I am most definitely not. I am 100% an introvert. I do appreciate my friends and the time I get to spend with them. But without my alone time and recovery time after social events, I'd struggle.
ReplyDeleteYou do come across as an extrovert - but I suppose most of us do, from the safety of our keyboards 😉.
DeleteI'm definitely an introvert - I hate parties and while I generally talk a lot when I'm with people I trust / care about, I instantly get quiet when I'm surrounded by a bigger group. It's just incredibly draining for me to hang out in bigger groups. It's funny because my mom is my exact opposite, apparently she participated in EVERYTHING when she was younger.. while I try to avoid participating in most things lol.
ReplyDelete"I instantly get quiet when I'm surrounded by a bigger group".
DeleteYou sound like me - a selective talker LOL. But I think it partly boils down to our being unsure of ourselves and afraid of faux pas (at least it does for me).
Oh, I'm an introvert through and through. Maybe at one point in my childhood I was an extrovert causing all kinds of trouble, but I definitely wouldn't say I'm an extrovert for most of my life. (But I still cause trouble.)
ReplyDeleteHonestly, while most people I knew went a little stir crazy during lockdown, I was definitely VERY content. 😂 I also get drained a lot more in groups (I'm not comfortable either) and when dealing with people, which doesn't make sense to work in a people facing position constantly, BUT oh well. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
ALSO GOOD MORNING ROBERTA. (My phone keyboard knows and automatically suggests your name after morning now. 🤣)
"(But I still cause trouble.)"
Delete😆
I know what you mean about dealing with people. OK, of course you deal with people much more than I do, which is dreadful when one has social anxiety (which I do).
"(My phone keyboard knows and automatically suggests your name after morning now. 🤣)"
That's scary 👀 😂.