Some social interruptions might ruin your perfectly good mood, and that could be because you’re actually more introverted than you realize you are.
The mysteriously occupied chair
There might be twenty empty seats on the subway, but still, someone’s chosen the one directly beside you. It’s not the end of the world, of course. It might as well be for someone who’s very introverted, though, because they tend to value their alone time quite a lot.
Physical space is a big part of that. You were actually enjoying the empty chair, in fact, and then it wasn’t empty anymore. It’s kind of ridiculous, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying.
The guest list suddenly grows
It was supposed to be just you meeting one friend for dinner, but it turned into you meeting them with two other friends. Your friend just happened to invite them spontaneously. That’s enough to ruin the night for a very introverted person because they don’t like surprises like this.
They’ve got to deal with introductions and more voices. They have to put up with more side conversations. Most introverts probably prefer their solitude, and they’re a lot less interested in highly social situations. No matter how fun your friend thinks it might be, you’re probably recalculating the evening.
The running commentary
Cooking becomes a lot harder when someone’s chatting at you, and answering emails is nearly impossible while somebody keeps asking questions. That doesn’t happen to everyone. No, only strongly introverted people hate having to split their attention like this.
Studies show these individuals get really tired when they have to divide attention between tasks and conversations. They get even more tired than extroverted people do. It’s not necessarily because they hate the person talking, but rather, they can’t handle it during another task.
The lunch-table arrival
We’ve all had those moments when we finally get to sit down with our lunch or a book. Maybe it’s with absolutely nothing at all. Either way, somebody appears with their tray and says they’ll join us. Plenty of people would welcome that, but unusually introverted people don’t.
They’ve already booked that time for no conversations at all. Just them, and them alone. You can genuinely like your coworker and really enjoy conversations with them. It’s simply the timing that might really annoy you, and that’s a sign you’re introverted.
No quiet after the front door
Introverts tend to do the same thing after they get home from work. They want a moment to de-stress, when they don’t need to do anything or talk to anyone. That’s why it annoys them so much when someone decides that’s the perfect time for a conversation.
Yes, introverted people feel more tired after sustained social behavior, so they need that gap after work to recharge their social batteries. It might only be ten minutes. But it’s ten minutes of ‘you’ time, without anybody asking anything of them. It hurts when someone takes that away.
The finish line keeps moving
Turns out, introverted people don’t hate socializing. They might go out to dinner with a big group and genuinely enjoy it. But then comes the moment when someone suggests that you all go for drinks somewhere and keep the night going. Ouch.
Extended social activities like that are especially tiring for introverts because they’ve already been ‘on’ for a while. Their bodies are already prepared for an end to the night. The fact that it’s now moving to a second location feels like a lot, and it can seriously exhaust you.
The week with no gaps
Having one plan on Monday is fine, and maybe one on Tuesday is okay, too. But another one on Wednesday feels like too much. Highly introverted people tend to desire more time alone, and research has also linked continued outgoing behavior with more tiredness.
Several social days in a row feel like a lot more than the exact same plans spread across two weeks. There’s no time to recharge in between. You may not want to cancel any of these plans, but it still feels like a lot to deal with.
Your empty evening disappears
A sudden plan might seem like a good idea to an extrovert. Not to an introvert, though. A lot of them struggle with switching gears when it involves socializing and other people. They find it hard to handle meeting new people they weren’t prepared to meet before.
The truth is, free time isn’t always unused time, and especially not for introverted people. Highly introverted individuals usually look for more solitude, so they might’ve been looking forward to an empty evening. It’s relaxing for them.
The weekend question
Someone asking whether you have plans this weekend can feel like a bit of an attack. At least, it does for very introverted people, as it makes them more protective of their free time. They might only have planned to do laundry or catch up on some reading.
But still, they want to keep those plans to themselves. These people get less pull from social rewards, and an empty weekend doesn’t necessarily feel empty or disappointing to them. Put it this way, they get annoyed when someone treats that blank space as something available.
Too much energy, too close
Another person might be absolutely lovely and relatively harmless, but they’re also someone who leans in. They touch your arm, and they laugh loudly. Don’t even get us started on how enthusiastic their reactions are.
Unusually introverted people feel uncomfortable being around those who are especially animated. The excited person might not be bad company, but instead, it may just feel like a lot happening at once.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
13 purchases introverts confessed they regret
Generally, introverts often think carefully before they buy something. But even the most thoughtful shoppers have a few purchases they wish they could take back. We talked to a group of self confessed introverts about the things they’ve bought that didn’t actually fit their personality or lifestyle and compiled a list. So here are 13 purchases that introverts confessed they regret.
