There are two types of people in this world. Okay, scratch that, there are many kinds of people in this world. But for the relevance of this list, we are going to think of it as two different types of people: the public and the private. The public people are rather well-understood because they are an open book for all to see and read. The private people, on the other hand, can be a mystery. So here are five things only very private people understand and know to be true.

1. We are not very social on social media

Whether on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or what have you, it is rare to find a private person posting anything on their social media pages. If we do post something it is because we were told to (ahem, Odyssey) or because our peers have advocated that changing our profile pictures has been long overdue.

2. We may appear cold and aloof in person

Now this is not the way all very private people appear to be. In fact, some can seem quite gregarious in person. But the truth is, if you are a private person, you do not want to let many people into your life. Very few will get to truly know you — and that is alright, because it is just how private people prefer it to be.

3. We hate intrusive questions

People talk, people gossip, people are curious. Well, curiosity killed the cat and the soul inside private people. My advice to the public people who do not seem to understand boundaries: stop asking the private people about their personal business. If we wanted to open up to you, we probably would have by now.

4. There is a reason for all of these walls

We are human. We like talking and socializing. But if we have formed walls around us, there is a good reason why and it could be due to a myriad of reasons: our own past mistakes, some kind of PTSD, betrayal, etc.

5. Once we let certain people in, they are in for good

Unless they totally screw things up, in which case they become no better than an entrance mat — that gets stepped on, repeatedly.