It’s interesting. Dealing with people wears me out. I don’t suffer fools or linear thinkers easily. Just sucks the life out of me (& I don’t have so many life minutes left that I want to waste them). But when I’m doing a speech or presentation at a convention or teaching class I get all jazzed up. Let’s me tolerate idiots 
for a fair amount of time afterward. Funny dichotomy.
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Sisters from another mother Jules. I would be happy not to leave the house for a few weeks and I despise large (and medium and most small) social gatherings. But I can speak and get along with anyone and I can tell just about anyone to pound sand if needed.
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I no longer work … but, had to be extroverted at work. People would have been very surprised to know that I’m slightly introverted. I’m probably perceived as a total introvert on the forum … because I’m usually too busy to have time to thoroughly enjoy the interaction. (I do enjoy it … just not enough time to fully take part).
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That doesn’t sound very “both” to me, are you sure you’re not full on intro? 
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Definitely an introvert. But I fake extrovert really well.
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Hmm, that does sound pretty intro lol. 
I guess I think I’m both becasue I’m extremely comfortable talking to people and confident in it. I can be the life of the party and gregarious when I choose, I just choose not too for the most part. It’s probably due in large part by my work in law enforcement though; after spending all day dealing with people and their problems, I’m done with humanity. There’s actually interesting research that shows that folks in jobs like LE suffer from an unnatural/high amount of sustained cortisol release and it has a real accumulative negative impact on their mental and physical well being. Basically, LE types experience so much sustained stress hormone during their work day that they tend to isolate themselves when off work and their brains and body “shut off” to cope with the cortisol. It’s a factor in the astronomical divorce rate and high suicide rate and it even has an effect on how LE types gain weight. It causes fat stores around the middle and makes for a lot of fat guts. All the donuts don’t help either. 
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Psst…you’re an introvert. 
We are perfectly capable of being social and outgoing. It just tires us out faster than solo time.
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This is exactly why I thought it would be interesting to track the responses over time.
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I have a cigar and a scotch and a free evening. I’m by myself as usual on a Sunday night. But I am catching up on my Glowforge forum and posting away.
Honestly, I think Jungian archetypes are a great narrative. Obviously they have some amazing resonance.
But breaking it down, everyone makes a fundamental category error. It’s all a nice bell curve.
Take @rpegg or @geek2nurse. Two amazing individuals who defy all categorization. And we are all blessed by that!
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As usual, well said.
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I don’t think the categorizations are useful for putting people in boxes. To me, they are a reminder of all the subtle differences that make interactions unique. The confusion around introversion is a great example. People deny being introverts because of negative stereotypes around being anti-social or shy. But if you get to the root of things and understand that it’s just a matter of energy, it’s helpful to know about yourself and others. My husband hardly speaks when he’s out unless he’s with a few specific kindred spirits. I pick up the slack and handle all the social niceties. He’d rather stab forks in his eyes than speak in public and I have been a speaker at large conferences and at a march on Washington. But when it comes down to it, I’m far more likely to hit my introvert wall than he is, even from interactions at home. But we understand each other and when the kids go to bed each night, we decide together whether we want to be together or have a solo evening. Understanding those finer points without trapping someone by them is what makes for the closest of relationship, whether you have the language to define them or not.
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Definitely useful to know and understand about ourselves and people around us, and yes, it’s all a continuum. My husband is a more extroverted introvert than I am; he’s retired and goes a little crazy if he doesn’t get out among other people a couple of times each week, whereas I would be perfectly happy to stay home and never go anywhere.
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People enjoy all kinds of activities that drain energy, so it’s certainly no surprise that there are introverts who are outgoing, engaging, etc. I’m a solid introvert, but especially enjoy opportunities to speak on things I’m passionate and knowledgable about to individuals, small groups, large groups, whatever. I’m one of those weird people that actually rather likes public speaking – I just need down time afterward and don’t want to overdo the frequency.
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Now the question is “how do our percentages stack up against the world/<insert home country> at large?”
Anyone know any current data about this same question, how people self identify?
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Introverts make up somewhere between 16 and 50% of the population.
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Or 25-40%. 
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How about that…I am an introvert. 
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I’m sorry, I thought you knew.
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Apparently not a self-aware one.
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That’s a pretty good article. Thanks for sharing. 
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