Shy or introvert: what's the difference?

Friends invite you for a ride, and you're even interested, but being alone at home - just you, the couch and the TV - is incredibly more attractive. Interacting with so many people in a noisy environment, sometimes still meeting new people ... the whole process can seem like a real sacrifice for an introvert.

Not that it's not so for a shy one, but it happens to both for different reasons. The former does not necessarily have difficulty interacting with others - he just prefers to be really alone. The second, in the same situation, is even willing to talk and may want to create new relationships - but cannot easily accomplish the task.

When a shy person is in a social interaction, especially one involving multiple people, she becomes anxious, nervous, and aware of absolutely everything she is doing and saying, and may even be embarrassed by what she says.

With introverts, these symptoms do not necessarily present themselves. They even appreciate contact between individuals as long as they are subjects of it or the conversation is helpful in some way. There is no difficulty, just there is not much pleasure involved either.

In an extrovert society, both being shy and being an introvert can be seen as anomalies. After all, simply prefer to be alone? If you are in this group, you have certainly heard that this is "not normal". In fact, they are just different ways of looking at this aspect of human interaction.

It's dopamine's fault

The difference between extroverts and introverts, according to Jenn Granneman, the creator of Introvert, Dear, is how dopamine affects their brains.

"This substance is a neurotransmitter and helps to control the brain's pleasure and reward centers. Having a more active system means that the sociable are more energized and excited by the possibility of gratification than those that are closed. So they are more motivated. say, start a conversation with a stranger or stay at the bar until the last call. "

On the other hand, the timing of the interaction is similar for almost everyone. Studies show that after 3 hours of social exchanges in very busy environments, all people begin to show signs of fatigue, regardless of their characteristics.

Another interesting point is that you can fight shyness, as there are several tactics to circumvent it. Already trying to change your introvert nature is not quite like that - not least because it does not always damage your life. In this case, it is more a matter of temperament than personality.

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