Causes of Introversion Scientists don't know for sure if there's a cause for introversion or extroversion. What they do know is the brains of the two personality types work a little differently from each other. Researchers have found that introverts have a higher blood flow to their frontal lobe than extroverts do.
JOHANNA MAYER: "Introvert" is taken from Latin. "Intro" means "inward" or "to the inside" and "vertere" means "to turn." So together, they mean "to turn inward." And "extrovert," of course, means "to turn outward." For Jung, it was a matter of energy, where it's directed and where it comes from.
Yes, emotional trauma can cause a person to become a lot more introverted.
Individuals with an introverted personality type are also often known to be perfectionists and very self-critical. Such characteristics can leave individuals feeling unsatisfied with themselves and with their lives. It can also lead to stress, mental and physical exhaustion, as well as mental health issues.
Anxious introverts are the most likely to become extreme introverts. That's because your social anxiety might keep you from socializing. Instead of working through this fear, you may avoid interactions and isolate yourself from others.
Are you born introverted or is it something you become over time? Introverts likely develop due to a combination of both nature and nurture. The way that your body's physiology responds to the outside environment plays a critical role in determining your level of extroversion and introversion.
Weaknesses: social anxiety, shyness, navigating a predominantly extroverted world.
The brains of introverts look and react differently than the brains of extroverts. The key differences: The prefrontal cortex. Introverts have a thicker prefrontal cortex than extroverts, which means they have more tissue in the area of the brain associated with deep thought and decision-making.
What Is an Introvert? An introvert is a person with qualities of a personality type known as introversion, which means that they feel more comfortable focusing on their inner thoughts and ideas, rather than what's happening externally.
In addition to their superior listening skills, introverts possess what Buelow considers a “superpower”: their observation skills. “We notice things others might not notice because they're talking and processing out loud,” she says.
Mental health issues are more common among introverts because it is hard to find completely isolated environments, according to Dr. Rice. Introverts often feel things deeply, and without proper settings for self-care, this can lead to mental health issues.
When Introverts become angry, they tend to hold everything inside, hiding their anger from others and even from themselves.
The new, unpredictable situations that extroverts long for are the very situations that may lead introverts into avoidance mode. Being asked to speak during a meeting, a surprise party or trip, or unexpectedly running into an acquaintance at the store can feel overwhelming to an introvert.
However, while introverts are a minority group in society, they form the majority of gifted people. Moreover, it appears that introversion increases with intelligence so that more than 75% of people with an IQ above 160 are introverted.
One telltale sign of an introvert is someone who prefers alone time, or at least the company of a small, close-knit circle, over a large group activity. They may also prefer to hang out with people one-on-one than in groups in general, and they need ample alone time to feel "recharged."
In 2011, research by psychologists Jennifer Grimes, Jonathan Cheek, and Julie Norem broke introversion into four main types: social introvert, thinking introvert, anxious introvert, and restrained introvert.
Sometimes referred to as the "Advocate" or the "Idealist," people with this personality type often feel misunderstood. Perhaps it's because INFJ is the rarest MBTI personality type, making up only 1% to 3% of the U.S. population.1 Or maybe it's because they're walking, talking contradictions.
Some kinds of Introversion are common, some are rare
ISTJ preferences are the most common Introverted type for men, making up 16.4%, while INFJ preferences are only 1.3%, making them the least common. What's the difference?
One Harvard study found that introverts' brains work differently, and have thicker gray matter compared to extroverts. In people who are strongly extroverted, gray matter was consistently thinner. Introverts also showed more activity in the frontal lobes, where analysis and rational thought take place.
An introvert will often compare old and new experiences when making a decision, which slows the processing down but leads to carefully thought-out decisions. This means that introverts have an active dialogue with themselves and usually walk around with many thoughts in their minds.
If you're an introvert, you likely possess emotional intelligence skills that your more gregarious counterparts secretly admire, and rightly so. Introverts are often misread as people who wish they could change. But that's not so!
Humility, an introvert's greatest strength
[14] Humility allows introverted leaders to innovate because they are typically more open to new ideas and suggestions. They listen better and are less likely to follow the first idea that is offered.
Having insufficient time or space to think.
If you're an introvert, you struggle with finding quiet time to gather your thoughts, particularly at brainstorming meetings. Find quiet places to think, and take breaks just for a change of scenery and a chance to gather your thoughts.
You must process stimuli from outside before you will respond to them. As an introvert, you are also more sensitive to it than an extrovert: you are easily over-stimulated, because your brain needs less dopamine (the happiness hormone) than an extrovert.