Are You An Introvert Or An Empath?

The two things are quite different, but they can be mistaken for each other.

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Over the past few years, I’ve seen a lot of positive memes about introverts. Once castigated for social awkwardness that was deemed as “needing to be fixed,” introverts are finally getting some respect for simply having a different — not defective — approach to the world.

Here’s a description of perhaps the primary characteristic of introversion in less than 60 seconds:

Some commonly associated introvert characteristics:

• Don’t necessarily mind socializing once they get into it, but need a lot of alone time to recharge after.

• They need time to adjust to the idea of change. Change in plans, change in environment, change in whatever status quo has them feeling stable and safe.

• They love canceling plans so they can stay home.

• Their idea of a good time is a movie, a book, or a video game. Preferably solo, but also sometimes with only the people closest to them.

• They hate phone calls. They rarely answer, even if it’s someone they know. They never answer if it’s someone they don’t. And they make as few calls as necessary even to meet their own needs.

• For similar reasons, they don’t like to answer the door. After all, who the hell just shows up unannounced??

• They tend to turn their home, their office, or their room into a “fortress of solitude,” and avoid leaving unless it’s absolutely necessary.

• They place an emphasis on feelings of safety, comfort, shelter, silence, and solitude.

There is a cottage industry for gifts for introverts. I ran into a bunch while Christmas shopping last month, like this mug:

And this shirt:

But that’s just scratching the surface. The recognition that introverts are a huge and valuable part of the world we live in has really turned the stigma into something more like a superpower.

My entire life, I thought I was an introvert.

I identify with pretty much everything on the list above. It felt right, so I assumed it was true. And then I took Jordan Peterson’s personality test — the same one that told me I’m in the highest conceivable percentage for neuroticism, which is about as fun as it sounds — and it said I was also high in extroversion.