There are a lot of common misconceptions about introversion and extroversion. Let me spell out very clearly what these two concepts actually are: they are, first and foremost, how we receive social interaction. Introverts are drained by social interaction, whereas extroverts are energized by such interactions. This leads to many preconceived notions about the two groups, such as introverts being shy, and extroverts being talkative and outgoing. However, I find that these generalizations are, overall, very misleading. As someone who considers themself a talkative introvert, I wanted to dive into this topic for a bit.

My golf spring break trip happened a week ago, and I found myself thinking a lot about my own personal tendencies regarding social situations. During the entire day, I had lots of social interaction both on and off the course, so much so that I found myself being exhausted by dinnertime. But I realized after a couple days that this was the most social interaction I had experienced in a long time, and began taking a few minutes to myself! Normally, I thrive in the classroom and social settings when I need to, but I also take plenty of time to myself to just sit and reflect.

This leads me to the topic of ambiversion. Honestly, I don’t think it exists. Because of the way introversion and extroversion are defined, realistically one person is always going to be more of an introvert or an extrovert. That doesn’t mean that an extrovert doesn’t enjoy staying in and reading a book on a Friday night, but an extrovert processes social interaction differently. It is more likely that people are going to be predominantly introverted or extroverted, though they have preferences for certain activities.

I was always a very talkative kid, and I value social interaction, but after a while, it is too much for me. There’s a part of me that has always needed alone time to process, reflect and recover, and this is the introverted side of me that people don’t always see. I have come to think of it as being a social butterfly some of the time, and a little caterpillar in my cocoon the rest of the time. Now, where does the balance lie? I’m not entirely sure. But I know that there’s not really a whole lot of in between.

If you’re like me and aren’t the life of the party, good for you! There’s nothing inherently good or bad about hanging out with friends versus sitting in your room reading a book. All of us at some point or another need social interaction to survive (yes, we really do), and I’m betting that most of us would fall apart if we never had any alone time. I challenge you to be okay with who you are socially. We’re all individuals and require different social interactions to bring out the best in us!