This post originally appeared at Thought Catalog and I lifted it from AlterNet
Emphasis added…
The pros to this temperament are many: we’re great listeners. We give good advice. We’re reflective and observant. We offend few. We usually have fantastic writing skills, and possess a quiet focus. We’re productive.
There are things though, that this popular introvert public dialectic doesn’t tell you:
1. We get so wrapped up in ourselves, and more specifically our inner selves, that we eschew traditional social customs.
Like for instance, we’ll sit in silence in the middle of a group discussion and let everyone else talk. Or we’ll forget that the polite thing to do is to active listen: “so you’re saying that…” “So if I understand you correctly…” Or we’ll forget to do the “Uh-huh, I totally know what you mean” interjections. How could we? Ruuuude.
2. We may appear rude, snobby or uptight to acquaintances.
If we sit too long in silence, we’ll get the “Are you upset? Are you okay? What’s wrong with you?” Really, we were just listening. I promise. It’s going to be okay.
3. We sometimes have verbal communication issues. But give us a pen and paper and we’ll gladly write you a novel.
We may stutter when we get nervous, or when there’s conflict. We may have a hard time articulating [outloud] what’s in our hearts and minds. We may fear public speaking. But can we email like a pro? Heck yes. Write our significant others romantic letters articulating our feelings perfectly? Double heck to the yes. Writing emails and letters comes in handy, right?
4. We hate networking.
Like literally, we’ll refuse to show up to networking events. We have no patience for sucking up or small talk. Which, by the way, we suck at.
5. We have fewer friends.
While we may have deeper friendships than our extroverted peers, in a world of facebook friends and twitter followers, it’s easy to compare our lives to others in terms of quantity over quality. And stalk extroverted people on facebook.