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  • Writer's pictureonlineoptimist

Are you an introvert, an extrovert or an ambivert?

We analyse, and we analyse our analysis, and we analyse the analysis of our analysis until we stop (because we think that our brains might actually explode) and we say “what are we analysing again?”)

I think 2018 might be the year of "let’s create as many terms to describe people as we possibly can until they all start to overlap and not make any sense at all". Some are so complicated that we forget how they're explained or we have to use about five equally as complicated terms to explain them and by that point, is the other person still with you or are they thinking about how much they’d love a cup of tea right now? Of course they’re still with you, you can see the deep concentration on their face, or are they just... oh, they're just bored to death.

Skoliosexual, ENTJ, zir, omnivert, eccedentesiast. These are some of the more rare terms used to describe us as people. The last is probably the most simplistic in meaning, ironically. I'll leave it to you to guess what they mean, shall I?

But, you'll probably be happy to know, I'll be looking at some of the more well-known terms today.

Introversion, extroversion and ambiversion I was deep in thought one day (nothing new there then), when my thoughts veered onto how we often put things into boxes and look at them in black and white. All my life, I'd thought I was an introvert. I like my own company, I'm quieter than most people (probably because I use up all my energy thinking!) and small talk? It's not really my thing.

But this left me tied, because depending on the context, I can be quite sociable and being the centre of attention is nice occasionally, but only up to a certain point before it starts to get overwhelming. I'm also not particularly creative or imaginative which are both common introvert traits. And I don't have low blood pressure as far as I know (?)(apparently, according to a Japanese study, introverts are more likely to have low blood pressure than extroverts. Did you know that? Nope, me neither!)



Twenty minutes in and I found myself deep into my Google search, wondering how these articles had analysed my personality so well and how they'd got the criteria so right. It was like an epiphany! There are quite a few characteristics, but I decided that the following described me best:

1. Well, there's the fact that I can't decide if i'm an introvert or not, which probably speaks for itself.

2. I don't always volunteer to speak up first or to start a conversation, but I can be a bit of a chatter if you catch me at the right time.

3. I hear the phrase "out of your shell" a lot. Sometimes I get the "I thought you were shy, but actually, you just needed time to come out of your shell..." *sigh*

4. What I choose to do at a particular time, on a particular day depends on my current energy or dopamine level. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain's reward and pleasure centers. According to Scott Barry Kaufman, dopamine is generally more active in an extrovert's brain than in an introvert's. That's how we distinguish between the different personality types. For introverts, that rise in dopamine is satisfying for a while and they can be content up to a certain point until they become "overstimulated". Introverts much preferacetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that increases by thinking analytically, contemplating, reflecting and placing focus onto one thing. This makes sense, I thought. Sometimes, I can be energised for hours while socialising in a crowd and the fun never seems to wear off. On other days however, nothing at all satisfies me except being in solitude and having time to think, which is when the "overstimulation" of dopamine and my grumpiness (did I just make that word up?) kicks in.

So which one are you, if any? There are lots of tests and quizzes that can help you determine which type of person you are, some of which I'll leave below. I'd say that my research has helped in terms of self-evaluation. It's forced me to think about why we are the way we are and the idea that uniqueness doesn't equate to being weird.

If you have a spare minute, take one of the quizzes below and prepare to be awakened. Or maybe not... maybe we should stop putting everyone into boxes, assigning them with labels after labels, and look at things in colour. Let's all just accept the idea that we're a very complex species and get on with it. Whatever that "it" is for you, whether it's thinking more or speaking less, mingling or being in solitude. Ultimately, it really doesn't matter.


Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Take the quiz here

If you're still stuck, try this one. You might be part of the ambivert army

Read more about dopamine & acetylcholine levels here

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