If you’ve ever felt like you don’t completely fit into the introvert or extrovert boxes, you’re not alone. There is a growing body of research that suggests most of us are actually a combination of introvert and extrovert, creating a spectrum where the majority of us land somewhere in the middle. Consider: the introverted extrovert. Although personalities start to form in early life, various life experiences can shift your personality. So if you’re an introverted extrovert, you are likely an extrovert at your core that taps into introverted tendencies depending on your environment. Siadat explains that an introverted extrovert is a person who: “Almost all of us are ambiverts to some degree,” psychotherapist Ken Page, LCSW, previously told mbg. Having the ability to tap into both sides of the spectrum is beneficial and can lead to a deeper sense of self-knowledge. “It’s a gift to have this balance,” Page says, “but that makes it all the more important to be connected to our feelings and what actually feels good for us in the moment.” But there is no reason to shy away from being any shade of introvert. A 2017 paper1 published in the Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences emphasizes that personality traits do not measure your social capacities and instead point to how a person needs to recharge and re-energize. If you’re out enjoying yourself at your friend’s birthday party surrounded by a hundred people and then you start feeling drained, try not to feel guilty. It’s just a sign that your introversion needs some attention. Your body might be telling you it’s time to go home and rest. Change is uncomfortable, and recognizing this can bring up some resistance. But staying present and connecting with yourself as you are today can help you navigate your life more authentically. Catahan currently runs, writes, and lives in San Francisco.
