I like people, but they wear me out. After much consideration I’ve decided that I will accept the introvert to extrovert conversion if available and free. Much as I love my house, my books, my couch and my TV, I think my life might be richer if I liked spending time with people more. How about you?
One the one hand, I agree with you: finding people less draining, and being more willing to go out and socialize could be nice.
On the other hand, I like that I don’t require other people to feel happy/satisfied/content. I like that I’m comfortable alone with myself.
I think I too would accept the conversion so long as I was still me, if that makes sense. I see extroverts at bars, parties, concerts having what appears to be so much more fun then me with all their friends. I want to be able to go and do all that, but I still want to be able to enjoy watching a movie all by myself.
OTOH, sometimes you get a little closer to said extroverts and they’re just talking about the cover of People or the new Beyonce CD and then I realize I’m happy just sitting in my corner with my vodka tonic, smoking my cigarette and people watching.
OTOOH sometimes it’s exhausting being in my own head all day long also.
I just wish I could be comfortable with myself. nevermind other people.
I would like to be less introverted, so I could comfortably deal with people if I had to. But I wouldn’t want to go all the way to being an extrovert.
I said no. I can behave in an extroverted way if needed, but I’m a pretty strong I on the MBTI. Extroverts are in the majority, and there is a perception (among Es *and *Is) that that is somehow preferable or “best” or “right.” I really take offense at that. I know so many Es who really can’t stand to be by themselves, who always have to have company, etc. I think that’s much sadder than an I who feels a little drained from being around people for a length of time.
Heck no.
My life is enriched by the relationships I have with others (such as my SO, also quite introverted), as well as the hobbies and interests I’ve cultivated, which I could not have done if I spent more time with others.
I attribute a lot of my positive qualities to my introversion, and since I can put on a more outgoing face if the need arises, I see no reason to envy extroverts or change myself.
I went with ‘it’s complicated’ because I would, often, love to be more extroverted than I am. But not all the time. I know some really out there extroverts and I’d honestly not want to be like them.
I’ve learned, over the last 51 years, that they really aren’t any happier than you are. All that noise and drama they make just make it appear that way.
I don’t want to be an extrovert; I like being able to entertain myself without depending upon others. I like myself just the way I am. 
That’s why I wish I could be an introvert with some extroverted tendencies. I try to hang out with the extroverts but quickly feel like Lisa Simpson rolling her eyes at the stupid crap they’re talking about. Sometimes I wish I could just turn that off for a few hours and have some fun for a little while with them. Don’t get me wrong. I like being who I am, but sometimes I wish I could just turn my brain off once in a while. Sometimes when I’m in my office at work and I hear that god awful Sugarland song come on for the 6th time today I wish I didn’t wan’t want to run over to the radio and turn it off (and if there’s no one in that area I do go turn it off). I’m not sure how that’s related, but it seems the extroverts like to listen to the Top40 stations.
Does that make sense? I don’t mind being an introvert, and maybe it’s from being single and more or less living alone for almost two years, but sometimes I just wish I could get out of my own head.
People are surprised when I tell them I usually drive with my radio. Most people (extroverts) can’t imagine doing that. For me, that’s the time I use to do my “thinking” I’ll have the radio on, someone will say something and it’ll trigger an internal mono/dialogue that’ll last the rest of the car ride.
Like I said up thread, it get’s exhausting being in my own head sometimes. It would be nice to turn it off once in a while. So, I guess I wouldn’t want to be an extrovert. I’d rather spend my time reading wikipedia then twitter, but it would be nice to be a bit less inhibited. There we go. Not extroverted, just a bit more socially outgoing.
I need a girlfriend that thinks like me, but that can get me out of my shell.
Where has this notion that extroverts can’t be happy when they’re alone come from? I’m an extroverted person and I’m quite happy to be alone. Sometimes I even think that I could be alone 24 hours a day and still not have enough time to myself, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like or enjoy the company of other people. It only means that sometimes there aren’t enough hours in the day to do the things I want to do that I would normally be doing by myself.
This is me, too. The only thing I would change is I would try to develop more friendships, but when I think about that, it sounds like it would take a lot of time and effort, and I just don’t really bother.
An extravert by definition gets recharged by being with other people. Liking or enjoying other people has nothing to do with being an extravert. It’s being more comfortable with people than being alone.
If you are an extrovert, you sound like a rather intoverted one. You apparently don’t need other people.
Voted yes because I could be making more money and have better relationships.
No. Extroverts seem to need human interaction and attention a lot more than I do, and I’m introverted, not shy. Being someone who needs to have others around all the time, specially when stressed, seems to require a lot more effort than being someone who needs to be left the fuck alone, specially when stressed.
Well, there’s a difference between being charged up by being with other people vs. being unable to be happy without them, which is what some of the posters here seem to be saying.
Having said that (and having looked up the technical definition on the web), it seems that my idea of the definition of extroversion (friendly, outgoing, gregarious) is a common but inaccurate one, as the need to be around other people or being energized by them does indeed seem to be part of the definition. So I don’t know where I’d fall on the scale. I’m perfectly happy being around other people and perfectly happy being alone.
Less introverted would be nice. I’d like to have the ability to do more than merely tolerate the presence of other people, and occassionally have the urge to do something with someone else, just to enhance a particular experience. As it is now, I do everything by myself. I think I could learn more if this wasn’t the case.
However, I would not want to be an extrovert. Being an introvert is a fundamental part of my personality, and I wouldn’t want to change that anymore than I would want to change my sense of humor or my creativity.
I know there are downsides to being an introvert, but there are downsides to being an extrovert too. Many extroverts that I’ve known get ansy and bored more frequently than I seem to. I may be too introspective for my own good, but at least I have don’t experience foot-in-mouth disease that often. Also, I think extreme introverts like me tend to cultivate a self-confidence that is admirable. People like to attribute a lot of neurotic traits to introverts, and I’m not going to deny that there are some psychological issues associated with this personality style, but it’s not like extroverts are automatically shining examples of human mental health. It doesn’t mean they are automatically great in socializing or that they are people who you would naturally be attracted to. It just means they like being sociable. Big whoop.
I don’t mind being an introvert, but the older I get the more I tend to withdraw from people in general, especially since I work at home. If it weren’t for my partner I’d be practically a hermit . . . and that’s not healthy.
The strange thing is that in certain circumstances I become an extrovert, as long as I don’t have to deal with people on a 1 to 1 basis.
The only thing that really gets to me about being an introvert is the socialization hangovers. And those only get to me because they’re hard on Mr. Athena sometimes. I do tend to growl at him if I’m on the wrong side of the socializing scale.
Other than that, I don’t think extroverts have more fun. I have a lot of fun going out and socializing; it’s just that I can’t do it all that often compared to other people. I wouldn’t like having my fun, happy times all connected to other people - what happens when there’s noone around? I can be happy all by myself and my books and my computer for days at a time.
Yeah, this is me pretty much. I love going out sometimes and spending the entire night with some friends, talking, laughing, etc. but the next day I most certainly won’t be in the mood for that stuff. Unfortunately my live-in boyfriend prefers to be around friends all day, every day. So we have to compromise, because there’s no way I’m going to have friends over every night. Excessive socializing drains me.
Basically, I don’t want to change, this is how I am for a reason - because this is what makes me feel best.