Lifestyle — The Benefits Of Having Characteristics Of An Introvert And An Extrovert
by Rebecca Jones

The moments I'm not at work are very precious to me. I spend most of that time with friends or alone and, depending on my mood, am equally happy in either situation. I don't have to make that much of an effort to balance time with friends and time to myself because a balance of both is what I want anyway.

Many days, all I want to do is veg out in my bed and watch "How It's Made" alone. I cancel plans with friends because there's really nothing more satisfying that. After a long work week, time to myself is exactly what I need to re-energize. I'll lounge all day like a beached whale in my ocean of comforters, fully content to be by myself.

Yet, after a day of doing so, I often start to feel bad for myself. Are the friends I cancelled on this morning still down to hang tonight, now that I'm in the mood? One confirmed plan for the night, and I'm up, showered and dressed to mingle.

When I'm in that mingling mood and out with a good group of pals, I often find that I'm so energized by the friends around me that drinking isn't even necessary. I become my own hype woman, as well as everyone else's in my vicinity (even if they don't want me to be).

That's why I find it difficult to define myself as either an introvert or an extrovert.

By definition, introverts are people who prefer to be alone rather than hanging out with a large group of people. They tend to keep their feelings to themselves and work out their issues on their own. Basically, they re-energize best in solitude.

On the other side of the spectrum is the extrovert. Extroverts gravitate toward socializing in crowds. They love meeting new people and tend to talk out their issues with multiple friends. In general, they get energy from being social.

But what about those of us who don't fit in either of those boxes all the time? Depending on the situation or our moods, we are more introverted or more extroverted. If this sounds like you, you're probably an ambivert.

First coined by psychologist Hans Eysenck, an ambivert is someone who exhibits qualities of both introversion and extroversion. Ambiverts have also been proven to be more successful than introverts or extroverts.

If you think you might be an Ambivert, or if you want to learn more about this personality type, watch the video above.

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