The name sounds like a synonym for weakness. But the truth is, it's more of a superpower. And researchers have found 70% of introverts also are highly sensitive people.
It is generally stated that about 70 percent of all highly sensitive people are introverts, but that as much as 30 percent are extroverts. So introversion and high sensitivity are not necessarily always linked. The sensitivity to stimuli is slightly different for introverts than for HSPs.
A highly sensitive introvert or HSI, is someone who possesses traits of both an introvert and a highly sensitive person. An introvert, a personality type discovered by psychologist Carl Jung in 1920, is someone who is focused mainly on internal thoughts, feelings, and moods instead of seeking stimulation externally.
The sensitivity to stimuli is slightly different for introverts than for HSPs. Introversion is mainly about avoiding stimuli related to contact with others (too large groups of people, conflicts), while for a highly sensitive person the sensory stimuli are the most important ones. Think of loud sounds or bright lights.
Introverts are looked down upon for lack of good 'communication skills'. Right from an early age, introverts have to compete very hard with peers, who seem to have no problem in public or interpersonal speaking. What seems to be effortless for peers is actually the most difficult task for an introverted child.
Introverts can become temporarily disillusioned by incidents that leave them feeling slighted, disrespected, overlooked, or mistreated. For a few hours they may become disillusioned not just with the person who caused their anger, but with humanity in general.
Most HSPs are either INFJs or INFPs — the ones that don't tend to be ENFJs or ENFPs. Whether you're one or both, it's important to know what stresses you, what overstimulates you and what makes you feel calm, relaxed and happy.
Empaths can be introverts or extroverts, or somewhere in the middle known as ambiverts. Judith Orloff, the author of "The Empath's Survival Guide," told Business Insider empaths "absorb the stress and also the positive emotions into their own bodies from other people."
There's not just one way to be an introvert, Cheek now argues — rather, there are four shades of introversion: social, thinking, anxious, and restrained. And many introverts are a mix of all four types, rather than demonstrating one type over the others.
This means that introverts may process more information per second than extroverts, which helps explain why introverts are prone to overthinking.
The name sounds like a synonym for weakness. But the truth is, it's more of a superpower. And researchers have found 70% of introverts also are highly sensitive people.
Editor's note: Not all introverts and highly sensitive people are people-pleasers; however, many of us daily battle an intense need for approval from others.
According to estimates, extroverts outnumber introverts by about three to one. 1 Introverts often find that other people try to change them or even suggest that there is something wrong with them. While introverts make up a smaller portion of the population, there is no right or wrong personality type.
If you're an introvert, you likely possess emotional intelligence skills that your more gregarious counterparts secretly admire, and rightly so. Introverts are often misread as people who wish they could change.
Introverts tend to be thoughtful and have exceptional powers of concentration; they can focus on a single task for long periods of time. However, an introvert's strength can turn into a weakness if it becomes unbalanced.
Though introverts may be perceived as intimidating due to these qualities, they simply have different priorities and values. This is the way they are, and it works for them. Introverts do not intentionally intimidate others; they just tend to get caught up in doing so inadvertently.
Trauma affects highly sensitive and intense people more intensely. Like any other of your reactions to stimuli, as a highly sensitive person (HSP) your trauma reactions are also more intense than most. As a result, many HSPs have used trauma splitting, or structural dissociation, as a way to cope.
Nicole Kidman, Kanye West, and Alanis Morisette are among the many who identify as an HSP. “When I read her book for the first time, I just couldn't stop weeping. It was self-recognition after recognition.
It is believed that HSPs are not rare, and that about 15-20% of the population are thought to be an HSP. There are also thought to be no significant differences in sex, with equal numbers of males and females being an HSP. Being an HSP is an innate trait, with biologists finding high sensitivity in over 100 species.
Introverts get annoyed by small talk. Since conversations require energy, they often prefer conversations that allow them to go deeper in their relationships with other people. Small talk and vapid conversations about the weather and current events can seem tedious, draining, and even annoying.
Introverts tend to prefer to think things through, mull over arguments, the rights, the wrongs and then proceed carefully (perhaps that's the Acetlyl Choline). If each side sees the other's style as a wrong reaction, the argument can continue and fester.
While introverts are generally likely to report lower levels of happiness than extroverts, this does not mean that introverts are unhappy. Ultimately, it's important to note the happiness benefits of both introverted and extroverted behavior, no matter where you fall on the spectrum.