I'm sitting in class, listening to a lecture by one of my professors. I'm taking notes, thinking about what he's saying, when all of a sudden he announces that it's time to "break up into groups." For an introvert like myself, this is one of the worst things a professor can say to a class.
It's not that introverts don't like people. Don't miss understand the introverts around you—we aren't snobby or stuck up, and we don't hate you. We just feel a lot more comfortable in our own heads than we do out in the overstimulating world. For us, group work is yet another way to force us to be social.
There are chemical differences between the brains of extroverts and introverts, so a lot of our personality quirks can't be helped. Extroverts thrive on the dopamine that their brains release when exposed to external stimuli. So say an extrovert goes to a huge party. There are people all around and tons of fun to be had. The extrovert thrives, their brain releases dopamine, they feel great. This works the opposite way for introverts.
An introvert goes to a party and will soon become too overwhelmed to stay. If they're trying to please their extroverted friends, they might stay and let themselves feel miserable. But more often than not, an introvert will leave a party as quickly as possible. Yes, it's great that extroverts get us out of the house, otherwise, we might never leave, but alone time is what we really thrive on.
I can't remember a time in my life when I was bored by myself. This is because my introverted brain releases high levels of acetylcholine when I'm exposed to internal stimuli. In other words, reading a good book or researching a topic that fascinates me activates my brain's reward center. You love parties, I love books.
But maybe you're a party-hating, book-loving extrovert. It's impossible for everyone to fit neatly into categories, and no one should be expected to. We're all unique individuals. So why am I writing this article? Because introversion is often treated like a disease in this extroverted country.
Teachers in primary school will often express concern to the parents of introverted children. "Your child isn't participating in class," the teacher writes to the parents one day. In the United States, a child who spends a great deal of time in her own mind is seen as an outcast and a problem child. So what if she likes to spend more time thinking than talking? Is that so wrong? We can't all be talkers. Nobody would shut up.
Certainly not all group work should be banned. Everyone needs pushed out of their comfort zones every now and then, and how would great ideas get shared otherwise? But since introverts think their best when alone, why not allow them to have that alone time? Let everyone work alone sometimes, even the extroverts, because everyone needs their way of thinking challenged. Only then, after thoughts are formed independently, should students be split into groups.
Introverts are often known for being creative thinkers. Since we spend a great deal of time in solitude, we have more time for deep thinking than extroverts, who are often surrounded by people and other distractions. A lot of the world's most brilliant and creative minds have been introverts.
Dr. Seuss is an example of a famous introvert. He was actually afraid of meeting the children he wrote books for, Susan Cain tells us in her Ted Talk about introverts. He was afraid they would be disappointed that he wasn't an outgoing, jolly person, but instead a backwards introverted writer.
Whether introvert or extrovert, everyone should be celebrated for their individuality. We all have great things to offer the world, whether we're quiet thinkers or social butterflies.
