Savannah Jordan is a freshman journalism major and writes “The Savannah Diaries” for The Daily News. Her views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.
I am an introvert, and I have been told I am too quiet, I don’t know how to have fun and I seem unfriendly for my entire life. What people may not understand is I have a comfort zone. It may be easy for some people to get out of that comfort zone, but I find it difficult to do every day.
There have been numerous times I went to social gatherings, such as a homecoming dance or a church dance, and I would be the one standing in the corner watching everybody else have fun. People always told me, “Come on, Savannah, let loose,” or asked me, “Are you sure you don’t want to join in? Everyone is having a lot of fun.”
While introverts may not like large social gatherings or constantly being the center of attention, they do have qualities that make them valuable during social gatherings and are good friends to keep around.
While each introvert expresses themselves differently, the general WebMD definition of an introvert is someone who has the personality type of introversion, which means they feel more comfortable focusing on their inner thoughts and ideas rather than what is happening externally. Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert depends on how you process the world around you.
According to Psychology Today, there are five types of introverts: social, introspective, restrained, thoughtful and minimal. I, personally, carry traits of all of these.
Like the social introvert, I structure my day to where I get all of my work done and am still able to have some downtime. I identify with introspective and thoughtful introverts because I constantly focus on my interlife — I solve a lot of my problems by sitting and thinking. I also identify with the restrained and minimal introverts because I prefer to observe situations before I pursue them and I like to know all of the facts before I make important decisions.
People think introverts come few and far between, but one-third to one-half of people in the United States are introverts. So, I can guarantee you come into contact with plenty of introverts every day, and not all of them fit the stereotypes society has built around them.
Because introverts prefer to focus on their inner thoughts and ideas, they are great observers. Being able to observe their surroundings can make them more aware of others by being able to study people’s body language and facial expressions. Even if they are not speaking to them, they can become more mindful of what they might be feeling in that moment.
Introverts are also great listeners. Most people they know go to them if they need to share their good news, if they need advice or if they simply need someone to listen to them. Being a good listener can also help them become more understanding of people’s feelings and situations. Because they prefer listening over talking, introverts are trustworthy. If you ever need to get something off of your chest but don’t know who to tell, find an introvert. They would be more than happy to listen to what you need to say and keep their promise not to tell anyone.
Once you meet and get to know them and you are in their lives, introverts are loyal until the end. Whether they see you every day or once a year, they will stick by you and always be there for you.
Because they are loyal, they are also very thoughtful. Introverts have the tendency to remember the smallest details about you, including your favorite holiday, your birthday, your talents, etc. If you can’t count on anyone else to wish you a happy birthday, you can always count on the introvert in your life to do so.
You can say introverts don’t know how to have fun, and you can label them unfriendly and too quiet, but at least give yourself the chance to get to know one because many of us are more than what meets the eye.
Contact Savannah Jordan with comments at sjordan4@bsu.edu or on Twitter @savmjordann.