We are all guilty of taking at least one BuzzFeed quiz claiming to explain “which personality type” we are. The questions range from what your favorite drink is, to what your major is, and the end definition is supposed to hit the “you” nail right on the head. But what if it never does? I am never fully satisfied with how I’m described, and truthfully I think it’s because I’m always different. The result is always black or white: introvert or extrovert. What about ambiverts?
It was and continues to be pretty straightforward: an extrovert is outgoing, expressive, a “feeler.” An introvert is the opposite – quiet, shy, and a “thinker.” But what if you’re both of these at different times? What if sometimes you like marching straight up to that boy at the bar and asking his name, but other times you’d rather skip the bar altogether and watch Netflix solo. I always thought it was ridiculous to think I was in the middle because I didn’t think it existed, but IT DOES! Welcome to the world, ambiverts!
It is so thrilling to be exploring the lost personality type, the perfect mix of unreserved and retrospective. Let’s explore a few aspects of this personality type so everyone is on the same page.
You love spending time with people, but you get tired and quickly crave “me time.” Hello there, girls night out! This is the perfect ambivert evening: a couple drinks, laughs with your friends and maybe even a game of pool. But when it’s all said and done, and you stumble back into your apartment, you get to face-plant into your bed and remain here for the unforeseeable future.
You need time to explore major, life-altering situations with yourself and with others. When you hear that you got accepted into the summer internship that’s 6 hours away from your hometown, you’re stunned! You are insanely excited that you’ve been given this opportunity, but you’re bummed it’s so far away. You take a day to do some yoga and take a hot bath, then you call your best friends and your boyfriend and your mom and your grandma and you also ask the opinion of your kind-of-friend-project-partners and the lady who works the cash at the closest grocery store.
You need a balance: too much socializing will make you exhausted, but too much alone time will make you depressed and unproductive. You wake up at the crack of dawn (literally) for the dreaded 8:30 lecture, but you’re ahead on your readings so you hit snooze and head back to dream land. Before you know it, it’s 1:30pm, you’re in PJs on the couch, and you can feel yourself slipping further and further into the anti-social coma. Get up and do something! It doesn’t have to be major – a Netflix marathon with your roommate and maybe a Skype sesh with your boyfriend and you’ll survive another day.
So don’t worry if that silly online quiz defines a person entirely different from you at the end – it’s safe to say no personality fits a “type.” You do not have to be an extrovert or an introvert; you can be a little bit of both! Personality types can be found on a spectrum, not in a definition.
Shake off the definition-less blues, you don’t need ‘em! The human brain is way more complex then simply Choice A or Choice B, and you’re no exception. Being a little bit of both is a great thing: it’s unique and it’s quirky. It means you’re adaptable, you’re constantly self-improving but you’re also strong and opinionated. Embrace your amazing, sometimes-a-bookworm-sometimes-the-loudest-at-the-party self and own it.
Featured image via Elizabeth Albert on Flickr
