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MYTH
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BUSTER
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Quiet/Shy
Shyness = social anxiety
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Introversion = temperamental trait |
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Unsocial
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Extroverts love people in larger doses.
Introverts love people in appropriate situations and smaller doses.
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Unhappy/Depressed
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Carl Jung got it right:
Introversion and Extroversion are simply differing traits in psychologically healthy people.
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Non-Leaders
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Tell this to George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page, etc.
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New evidence utilizing brain scans shows something else. Introverts and Extroverts run on different neurotransmitters and neural pathways. In other words, introversion is directly related to real neurological differences in perfectly healthy people.
It’s best explained that introversion is about sensitivity to external stimulation.
Introverts run at a higher base level of arousal and are more sensitive to stimuli around them. Too much stimulation is too much. Introverts will tend to avoid overly stimulating environments as often as they can.
Extroverts are the reverse. They run at lower levels of base arousal and seek out external stimulation to bring them up to optimal levels. Both seek a balance point between under (fall asleep) and over (hyper-stimulation).
So debunk the myths, study the science, replace myths with facts and value introverts (especially yourself if you are one)!
FYI – The Clues are taking July off – see you in August – Happy Summer!!
In case you missed it…