Introvert Pride

Call any introvert words like "nerd" or "geek" and you're bound to get a surprising response -- that is, if you intended to come off as insulting.  Indeed, we are likely to reply with a zealous "thanks!" But why would introverts like me not take offense to being labeled a nerd?  After all, in pop culture -- namely sitcoms like Saved by the Bell and Family Matters -- nerds are portrayed as losers who spend all their time studying and who couldn't land a date to save their lives.  It's because we recognize that our intellectual inclinations -- devouring books, writing prolifically, consuming educational films and documentaries, virtually living at museums -- makes us unique. We can't help but to seek intellectual stimulation any way we can. Our curious minds demand it; if not, we get bored and lose total focus.  That's not to say the average person doesn't do these things every now and then. But most introverts make a pastime -- a way...

Many people know of introversion , but they don't have the foggiest idea who came up with the word. Don't feel bad; I didn't know myself until recently. Want to take a stab at it? Here's a hint: It was not Sigmund Freud, though that would make a logical guess. Introversion , the tendency to become preoccupied with one's own thoughts and feelings rather than external stimuli, was popularized by none other than Carl Jung, the Swiss psychoanalyst and psychiatrist who also coined the terms collective unconscious and analytical psychology. Unlike extroverts, who become energized while in the presence of large numbers of people, introverts are inward-oriented. They gain energy from reflection and lose energy in noisy social gatherings.  This in no way implies introverts are misanthropic loners, a common misconception. Misanthropes are those who, put simply, would rather stick a fork in their eye than have to deal with people. They loathe humankind with every fiber in thei...

Do you love learning for its own sake?  Do you have a penchant for looking up the definitions of unfamiliar words you come across?  Do you enjoy going to museums -- not only to check out neat exhibits, but to read the descriptions  that accompany them? Does a day spent writing in a library or coffee shop sound ideal to you? While others watch reality TV, do you immerse yourself in educational documentaries?  Do you like traveling to cities mainly to soak up history and culture? If you answered "yes" to one or more of the above (as I proudly do), you're likely an autodidact, which simply means you're self-taught. You learn things on your own just for the sheer pleasure of learning.  Granted, an autodidact can still be college-educated, but once they have that diploma in hand, he or she refuses to give up his pursuit of learning.  When I graduated from college, I felt a sudden void in my life. No longer forced to read books or write papers, my intellectually ...

Great news: You've arrived at the newly launched home for introverts on the web -- at the start of a new year, no less! My name is Jeff. I'm a writer by trade, and I've been an introvert my entire life. That's right. Like many of you fellow introverts , I remember questioning as far back as grade school whether something was wrong with me in that I wasn't as talkative, sociable, or energetic as my peers. And the fact many of them made fun of me for my quiet, low-key demeanor certainly didn't aid my cause. But as I grew older and learned more about introversion , I came to realize I wasn't weird, antisocial, or deserving of any other labels foisted upon me. I was just different in my internal wiring.  Introspective and quiet? Check. A tendency to think through what I'm going to say before opening my mouth? Yep. A need for solitude in order to recharge my batteries following heavy social interaction? Absolutely. A deep interest in solitary pursuits, part...