chronic introversion alert

[lauraredcloud]

I consistently come up at 100% Introverted on MBTI tests, but even I was left wondering "What planet are these people from?" when I heard this exchange on an NPR "To The Best of Our Knowledge" interview with John Cassiopo, a sociologist talking about the biological basis of loneliness.

STEVE PAULSEN: So on a practical level, it sounds like you're saying that we may need to force ourselves to go out and, I don't know, go hang out with other people, even when we don't really feel like it, but we kind of know it would be good for us.
JOHN CASSIOPO: Right. It's a little bit like exercise. I don't know about you, but the long runs are not something I cherish, especially in the winter, when I awaken, but by the time I finish, I'm grateful that I did it.

I guess I'll have some human interaction today. Even though it isn't something I cherish.

Comments

Re: from Caolan

[laura-redcloud.livejournal.com]

I would understand if they were talking about depression, but they didn't talk about it in that context at all. It was just like they assumed that not wanting to hang out with people is true for everyone, like they were secretly talking to a depressed, lonely person who doesn't want to admit he's depressed and lonely.

Being introverted is kind of the opposite in that I want to hang out with people and then I do and then I feel exhausted and drained and unhappy. Unless they are a person who doesn't count (family, roommate etc.), and then it's fine!

Re: from Caolan

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, that is a pretty crazy assumption to make! It would be so interesting if everyone secretly was just forcing themselves to make contact with other people, and it was this weird bitter pill to do so. I feel like if that were the case there would be a lot more pod- and carrel-based public spaces in the world.