The Upside Of Being An Introvert (And Why Extroverts Are Overrated)

[Blue_Tires]

I'm in the bathroom of the American embassy in Tokyo, and I can't leave. Somewhere in the elegant rooms beyond, the ambassador is holding his annual holiday party. Diplomats from around the world, U.S. military personnel and reporters are mingling, sipping Champagne and picking at hors d'oeuvres. As TIME's Tokyo bureau chief, I should be there, trolling for gossip or mining potential sources.

And for 20 minutes or so after arriving, despite the usual nerves, I did just that. But small talk with stiff-backed strangers at a swanky cocktail party is by far my least favorite part of my job. Send...


Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2105432,00.html#ixzz1mg6eOy5h

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. I am sorry I missed this post earlier.

Hope you will post more items here.

edited to add: The article link requires a subscription, says the website..drats, it looked like a good one, too.

[Blue_Tires]

2. Yeah, I have to run to the library to read that issue

I started reading it in the doctor's office but couldn't finish it...

[AndyTiedye]

3. It Let Me Read It

and I don't have a subscription to Time.

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. I just now tried in Opera and it came up!

but in Firefox I got a "need subscription" window.
Interesting.
Ok..new learning curve...will try Opera more often.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. this bit from the article hit home for me:

" e-mail, cell phones and social media; in fact, many introverts prefer these digital tools because they provide a buffer that telephone conversations and face-to-face meetings don't. "

Indeed..I hate talking on the phone, always have, even tho my job demanded it. Email, that is a great invention.

[BlueMoonInMyEye]

6. Introversion is a health risk?

I have to ask myself if there were any extraneous variables involved in research that indicates introverts are more likely to be ill. I mean, can we be sure they didn't lump some run-of-the-mill lonely people, ostracized people, or incarcerated people in that population?

I consider my health at risk if I have too much interaction with the public. I travel alot for my job and I sincerely believe that if extroverts were required to spend extended periods of time in airports, they would be instantly converted.

Among other benefits, loners are less likely to be in a crowded place when an unhappy extrovert finally snaps like a dry twig and opens fire with an automatic weapon. We tend to get more sleep than the robo-extrovert, and we usually are better at self-soothing than our more social counterparts. I find these things amazingly conducive to good health.