Are you an Introvert or an Extrovert?

For most of my life, I believed, like most people, that introverts were people who liked to be alone, and extroverts were people who were outgoing.  I recently found out that my assumption about those definitions was dead wrong!  In fact, here are the proper definitions:

An Introvert is someone who recharges and get their energy from within themselves

An Extrovert is someone who recharges and gets their energy from others 

Understanding these definitions not only completely changed my outlook on introverts and extroverts, but completely changed my outlook of myself!  I had always believed that I had been an extrovert, since I had been a pretty talkative and outgoing person my whole life.  However, after understanding these definitions, I realized that I was actually MUCH more an introvert, because talking with people, while fun, was exhausting!

Introverts are much more sensitive to external stimulation, such as loud noises or lots of people, and while they can certainly function in those environments, it’s hard to maintain their energy in those environments.  The opposite is true for extroverts, who aren’t as sensitive to external stimulation and rather thrive in the loudness that is a party or a concert.

Here are a few quick questions (pulled from www.lifehack.com) to see whether you are indeed an introvert or an extrovert:

  1. After a crazy day at home or work, I prefer to go out with friends to let off some steam
  2. I absolutely love big crowds, especially at concerts or other large gatherings
  3. When I am at home, I am happiest when I have my entire family around me
  4. When I am with my friends, I gain the most happiness by chatting with them instead of just watching TV or a movie
  5. I look forward to meeting new people every day, and enjoy having conversations with everyone

If you answered yes to 3 or more of these questions, chances are you’re an extrovert.  However, if you answered no to 3 or more of these questions, chances are you’re an introvert, like me!  Although I do love talking with people, am generally outgoing and don’t have a problem striking up a conversation, I need LOTS of down time, especially alone time.  As a mom, getting either is nearly impossible, so it’s important to tell your spouse and loved ones exactly what you need in order to recharge and feel ready to take on the next day.

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Fastcompany.com published an article on Extroverts vs Introverts and included these great infographics which can help start that conversation with your loved ones.

 

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Priya Amin
Priya Amin is a mom of two rambunctious boys, and is a serial entrepreneur. Her latest project is Flexable, a tech company helping parents and caregivers connect better, by allowing caregivers to intelligently "advertise" their availability. In the past, Priya worked in Corporate America for companies such as IBM and Nestle, before leaving to be a stay at home mom. She launched a successful consulting business called ROKI (named after her boys Ronin and Kirin) prior to launching Flexable, and enjoys the chaos of motherhood x work.