Lead the group conversation
I want you to imagine that you are at a party, chatting and interacting with your friends. At this party, are you the one to lead the group conversation, making everyone laugh with your humorous nature? When the music plays your favourite song at full volume, are you the one to get up and start dancing, creating attention as everyone crowds around to watch your moves? If this is highly relatable to your behaviour in that you get a lot of your energy from being surrounded by other people, then you are an extrovert. On the other hand, maybe you are enjoying this party first, but you are anything like me. One hour later, you are probably sitting in a quiet area, pretending to text someone, when secretly you are praying to God that this will end soon so you can go home back and watch Netflix. If this is highly relatable to your behaviour in that continually having to build up a conversation with others is tiring for you, then I can relate because, like me, you are an introvert. Being an introvert in a world designed for extroverts can be tough, but being an introvert isn’t bad. In fact, it’s a beneficial thing to be. First of all, Introverts are known to be shrewd. Introverts are observant and think before they act compare to extroverts. This has been proved by science, where introverts and extroverts use a different neurotransmitter that hugely impacts their behaviours. According to the Introvert Dear article, introverts use acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter while the extroverts use dopamine. Dopamine is an organic chemical that produces an extreme level of happiness, allowing to act quickly and take risks. However, acetylcholine makes a person relaxed, alert, and content. According to the quietrev article, extroverts have a low sensitivity to dopamine, where they need more to feel happy and advantageous. Introverts prefer to use acetylcholine, where they can think deeply and focus intensely on something for a long time. Because of how they’re wired, introverts are more likely to accrue a deeper understanding of various aspects of life, including human’s behaviours. This makes them contribute to more considerable judgment so that they can choose the best course of action that they won’t regret. Moreover, facts have stated that introverts have a great imagination. The extroverts usually focused on their social engagement, which distracts them from drowning out their inner voices while introverts spend most of their time alone, which incubates creativity. Besides, extroverts may easily influence by popular trends, while introverts have their own preferences that are less impacted by trends. People like Bill Gates, J.K.Rowling, and Albert Einstein are a great example of creative introverts because they come up with ideas that no one can think of. As evidence, research suggests the most creative people in many fields are usually introverts because they spend their time alone and solitude often leads to lightbulb moments and grand ideas. Last but the least, introverts can be a compassionate leader. Based on INC article, introverts are more capable leaders in complicated and unpredictable settings. Since the introverted brain is wired differently, an introverted leader gains more satisfaction from maintaining the team’s productivity and high-quality work instead of recognition and professional advancement. Moreover, problem-solving is the core of all good leadership. The medical daily article mentions that introverts have thicker gray matter in the prefrontal cortex, which is the area of the brain where abstract thinking and decision-making happens, which helps them reflect on creative ways to solve problems. For your information, The Former President, Barack Obama, is surprisingly an introvert. Barack Obama mentions that after his dinner, he spent 4- 5 hours in his private office working alone because that is his time to recover from the day’s social demands and get up on work that required his full attention. So, through all these amazing benefits. Why has society put so much importance and value on being extroverted? I must say, at this point of my talk, that I’m not suggesting we should bring down the extroverts or something. Nevertheless, I’m continuously asking myself, “Why must I change my personality type in order to fit society’s norm?”. But here is an advice from my experience, don’t try to change yourself to fulfil others desires, and by doing that, we can create a world that accepts all types of verts. Hence, it’s okay to be an introvert. My name is amu, and thank you for listening.