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So I would say that introverts can get lonely it is mainly an issue for extroverts. So when another IMHO bull health study comes out that a says loneliness will kill you.. is that true for all or just extroverts. They should make that clear.
Yes!!! I am so tired of reading those studies.
I get lonely, maybe for one minute now and then, but it goes away. I do feel a need to have friends, so I join things related to my hobbies.
But most of the time, I would rather be alone. I work hard on my hobbies, I always have things I want to accomplish, and having other people around would interfere.
Before I understood that I am in introvert, I felt obligated to socialize a lot more than I wanted to. Our society glorifies extraverts, and having lots of friends is a status symbol.
Now, I try to keep a balance between being alone and being with friends.
I would hate to have my phone constantly beeping with text messages, or ringing with phone calls. I need a lot of silence.
I'm alone all of the time and really have no interest in forming friendships or relationships. I have a good job and also some hobbies that take up most of my time. I'm polite to others but just don't go out of my way to surround myself with other people. I never feel lonely, and by that I mean that I never really miss other people. I'm perfectly happy being on my own.
Is loneliness mainly an extrovert thing? Extroverts talk constantly and are always surrounded by other people. They have a real need to socialize, so it seems like they are the ones who are mainly affected by loneliness.
Many who have a hobby or three may prefer to do them by themselves, but feel they need to tell someone about them who will be interested in the details. I may be wrong but suspect that life may seem to have no meaning if you can't tell a person about your interests in person or at least online.
There is a song (by Cinderella) with the lines "everyone's a problem till you turn 'em all away" and "all we need's a miracle to take us all away from the pain." Possibly this suggests we need varying amounts of time alone and with people, and they have to be people that have interests to share. A person that is especially needed may be one that relates to pain, you can tell them about your suffering and they won't mind.
I'm alone all of the time and really have no interest in forming friendships or relationships. I have a good job and also some hobbies that take up most of my time. I'm polite to others but just don't go out of my way to surround myself with other people. I never feel lonely, and by that I mean that I never really miss other people. I'm perfectly happy being on my own.
Is loneliness mainly an extrovert thing? Extroverts talk constantly and are always surrounded by other people. They have a real need to socialize, so it seems like they are the ones who are mainly affected by loneliness.
Is a person who doesn't call anyone on the phone, but sometimes enjoys the talk when someone calls them, a true introvert? Or would a true introvert not answer the phone?
I get lonely, maybe for one minute now and then, but it goes away. I do feel a need to have friends, so I join things related to my hobbies.
But most of the time, I would rather be alone. I work hard on my hobbies, I always have things I want to accomplish, and having other people around would interfere.
Before I understood that I am in introvert, I felt obligated to socialize a lot more than I wanted to. Our society glorifies extraverts, and having lots of friends is a status symbol.
Now, I try to keep a balance between being alone and being with friends.
I would hate to have my phone constantly beeping with text messages, or ringing with phone calls. I need a lot of silence.
You seem to know yourself well as to what works for you. Some who socialize whenever they can, may hope that doing so will give them an advantage in life, perhaps a tip to get rich. Some might be the opposite and hope to improve the whole world, and feel teamwork is better for that.
So many ways to look at things, but as my sociology professor said "every person is of unlimited worth". I think that individuality is good as I try to imagine everything that would go wrong if we were all clones. Best wishes.
Is a person who doesn't call anyone on the phone, but sometimes enjoys the talk when someone calls them, a true introvert? Or would a true introvert not answer the phone?
Neither. Another typical misunderstanding of what an introvert is. It is different than a loner, or a hermit. For the umteenth time:
An INTROVERT is someone who tends to get drained when around other people too long. They get their emotional battery recharge from time alone.
An EXTROVERT is someone who tends to get their charge/energy from time spent with other people. They may feel drained/loonely when others are not around enough.
There are degrees of both, extremes on either end of the spectrum. It's not a matter of being a "true" anything. An introvert makes phone calls to others just an an extrovert would; it might be less often. They still make them. An introvert would welcome a call from someone else just as an extrovert would. The introvert might not choose to spend 10 hours talking to others every day but an extrovert might.
Last edited by Parnassia; 04-29-2018 at 01:35 AM..
Obviously, this is a personal opinion sort of question, but I would have to say "No". Loneliness does not mostly affect extroverts (vs introverts). I think that often, an introvert will not recognize loneliness as well as an extrovert might, but I don't think it is connected to extro/intro-version. One is an extrovert or an introvert because one gets an emotional charge, call it joy, or happiness, from interacting with people, or not. For introverts, interacting with other people is a chore - a negative draw on energy - but going without interaction they still get lonely.
An introvert may get all the contact they need from sitting in the same room with someone they know and care for. No need to speak, just knowing the person is there can be sufficient.
I would think, actually, that, if anything, an extrovert is less likely to be lonely, as they are more likely to actively seek companionship.
I'm alone all of the time and really have no interest in forming friendships or relationships. I have a good job and also some hobbies that take up most of my time. I'm polite to others but just don't go out of my way to surround myself with other people. I never feel lonely, and by that I mean that I never really miss other people. I'm perfectly happy being on my own.
Is loneliness mainly an extrovert thing? Extroverts talk constantly and are always surrounded by other people. They have a real need to socialize, so it seems like they are the ones who are mainly affected by loneliness.
In general, I say yes to loneliness mainly affecting extroverts. As an introvert, I'm rarely lonely though I can feel that way if I don't see anyone for a few days. My wife, on the other hand, needs continuous social interaction or she becomes lonely.
I'm alone all of the time and really have no interest in forming friendships or relationships. I have a good job and also some hobbies that take up most of my time. I'm polite to others but just don't go out of my way to surround myself with other people. I never feel lonely, and by that I mean that I never really miss other people. I'm perfectly happy being on my own.
Is loneliness mainly an extrovert thing? Extroverts talk constantly and are always surrounded by other people. They have a real need to socialize, so it seems like they are the ones who are mainly affected by loneliness.
This is true. I'm not an extrovert and really never get lonely despite the fact when I am not working (job is dealing with the public) I prefer to be alone or in the company of a couple of friends. Since I don't really have any friends near where I live I just hit the road when I am able to and visit them.
Extroverts have a compelling need to be the center of attention and if they are alone for any length of time or don't have people paying attention to them, they lose it. And they can't even comprehend people like us that prefer to be alone a lot and as a result at least in my case, they try to insinuate themselves into my life.
My brother is the same way. Since his friends don't live anywhere near where he does, and being divorced and not having the opportunity to see his kids, he just spends his spare time by himself doing a couple of the things he likes to do.
Ultimately I believe that people that are comfortable with who and what they are, are able to be alone and not feel uncomfortable about it. People that have to have people around them all the time and when they don't, can't deal with it, are really uptight and insecure. I run into a lot of these people during the course of my work day. At least where I live which is a distance from where I work, I don't see as much of this insecure behavior.
Now, I try to keep a balance between being alone and being with friends. I would hate to have my phone constantly beeping with text messages, or ringing with phone calls. I need a lot of silence.
Absolutely. Also you can be with friends and be the most popular person in the world and still be lonely if no one listens to you or is helpful.
I think society has an extrovert bias because that is what is best for society. People succumb to peer pressure when they can't be alone for a moment. Living with other people tends to take a lot of society responsibility away as other people pick up the slack.
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