It's Okay To Be An Introvert – Sort Of

Here's another of those articles about introverts, published recently in Psychology Today:

There's More To Introversion Than You Might Think

Many people, including introverts, believe that introversion is a personality trait that curses you for your entire life. However, introversion is not a unitary quality; its six facets moderate over time and can show significant changes throughout life.

That's good news. There's hope for us. We may be able to change. Even though as a group, we produce most of the world's art, letters, music, scientific discoveries and technological advances, there's still a chance we can break through our limitations and become car salesmen, televangelists, politicians or multilevel marketing coordinators.

And here's one segment of the article that caught my attention:

Excitement Seeking Facet: Psychologists have long known that people vary in the need to be stimulated as well as the desire to take risks. If you're low on the excitement seeking facet, you'll probably never go bungee jumping or become a race car driver.  You seek peace and quiet and are perfectly happy with keeping to your daily routines.

What are introversion's benefits?  Being low in excitement seeking doesn't mean that you are not willing to change or experiment. People low in excitement seeking just don't need to be stimulated by lots of noise and action.  They certainly make better roommates or neighbors because they prefer a steady, quiet, lifestyle.

Unless you crave a neighbor who makes you feel alive.

All right. I'm through ranting for awhile.

But, as Linus Van Pelt famously said in Peanuts, "I love humanity. It's people I can't stand."

Still not feeling very Buddha-y.