Nation’s Introverts Exhausted by the Constant Need to Explain Introversion
According to the Center for Personality Fatigue at The Ohio State University, the nation’s introverts are weary of the constant need to explain that introversion is not a medical condition, a character flaw, or evidence that they are secretly angry at everyone in the room.
These findings come from a new survey conducted by the center, which estimates that the average introvert now spends more time explaining introversion than actually enjoying it.
“We’d prefer not to discuss it at all,” said Eleanor Voss, 43, an archivist from Dayton whose hobbies include restoring obsolete filing systems and ending phone calls by pretending the connection failed.
“Unfortunately, every mention of wanting a quiet evening immediately triggers a public hearing.”
Researchers found that introverts are routinely asked whether they are shy, depressed, antisocial, angry, bored, judgmental, or “just having a weird day.” Many respondents reported answering these questions politely before returning home to recover from the experience of answering questions.
“It’s astonishing,” said Dr. Leonard Crumm, 58, a behavioral psychologist who once spent an entire conference hiding behind a decorative ficus to avoid networking.
“An extrovert can announce plans to spend a weekend attending a music festival with twelve thousand strangers and nobody requests clarification. An introvert says he’d like to read a book alone and suddenly he’s testifying before Congress.”
The Center for Personality Fatigue Studies identified several common misunderstandings about introversion. Among them: the belief that introverts dislike people, the assumption that introversion can be “fixed” with sufficient exposure to brunch, and the persistent theory that a quiet person is secretly composing a manifesto.
Particularly exhausting, researchers noted, is the advice “Come out of your shell,” which has now been heard so many times by introverts that many recite it before someone begins saying it.
Meanwhile, employers continue scheduling mandatory team-building exercises designed to help introverts “open up,” despite evidence suggesting that what introverts most want is for mandatory team-building exercises to cease existing.
At press time, introverts nationwide were spending a pleasant evening alone before receiving a text asking whether everything was okay.
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