Paul Brian
“He’s a wallflower. You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand.”
–Stephen Chbosky, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”
Studies have found that extroverts are, on average, happier people.
But being an introvert also has a lot of advantages that being an extrovert just doesn’t have.
Here are 16 of them.
1) You’re a creative, unique soul
Introverts tend to derive the majority of their energy and wellbeing from time alone, while extroverts are the opposite.
One of the surprising benefits of being an introvert is that this energy you get while alone also boosts your creativity and uniqueness.
You spend less time around groups or at least are not as into it when you do.
As such, your mind tends to be more one-of-a-kind, creative and unique.
2) You’re able to solve complex problems
Being introverted means you spend more time in your mind and with your thoughts.
This time and focus makes you better able to solve complex problems and ruminate on them.
Whether that means social and economic injustice, relationship struggles, personal development or finding your mission, you’re on it.
As an introvert you think before you act, and this serves you well in life and love.
3) You speak more truthfully and tactfully
One of the more surprising benefits of being an introvert is that you’re more careful with words.
This is a trait which has many advantages.
You think more about what you’re going to say before you say it and you pay more attention to the accuracy and impact of your words.
“Because introverts typically feel less comfortable speaking than they do listening, they choose their words wisely.”
Now: obviously not all introverts are honest. But generally speaking, an introvert puts more thought into his or her words and tries to make them as truthful and tactful as possible.
4) You’re a better listener
As an introvert, people seek you out and trust you because they know you’re a good listener.
That’s a very valuable trait for relationships, business, friendship and building trust and intimacy.
In today’s smartphone-obsessed world, the fact that you have time and attention to listen increases your value significantly to potential mates, business partners and those around you.
5) You’re able to focus and drill down
Another of the surprising benefits of being an introvert is that you have a heightened ability to focus.
You can study for hours without interruption and set your mind on a goal and stick to it.
You need a break sometimes, like anyone. But you’re less likely to just toss your project on the desk and head out for beers with the guys or a girls’ night out.
That makes you a force to be reckoned with.
6) Your friendships tend to be quality over quantity…
Another of the surprising benefits of being an introvert is that you prize quality over quantity in your friendships.
You’d much rather have two close friends than fifteen random buds and pals who don’t mean a lot to you.
Your friendships are deep, profound and tend to last longer.
While others may go through friends like binge-watching a series, you stick to the tried and true folks you truly connect with.
7) And so do your relationships
Not only do your friendships prize quality over quantity, so do your romantic relationships.
You’d rather stay single than just go out or sleep with people you’re not interested in.
And when you do get into something serious, you put your whole heart into it and really get to know someone.
This gives you a much higher chance of finding a real and lasting love.
8) You notice and remember more than extroverts
Another of the amazing and surprising benefits of being an introvert is that you perceive and remember more than many others around you.
This skill is extremely valuable for career and for many professions where your ability to remember may be called on.
It’s also very appreciated by others when it helps to bring up key details from anything as simple as where somebody left the car keys to an important event that would otherwise have been forgotten.
“While others are speaking, introverts are taking notice and assimilating the little details,” writes Yadirichi Oyibo, adding that “The reserved personality of introverts helps them to see beyond the average eye.”
9) You actually have a greater ability to lead than extroverts
The common image of a leader as a grand and charismatic extrovert who rallies the troops is more for the movies than reality.
In fact, many of history’s most noted and influential leaders like Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King Jr. were distinctly introverted.
Their ability to serve and lead, as well as to inspire crowds, came partly from the deeper thoughts and experiences they’d had in private.
They were able to translate their personal journey into a national struggle and relate their thoughts and experiences to people who’d never met them.
Being introverted often makes someone a better leader, because it erases a lot of the egotistical aspect that so often sinks more extroverted, outgoing leaders.
10) You’re more likely to forge your own unique quest for truth
Another of the surprising benefits of being an introvert is that you are more likely to find the truth in your own way.
You may be part of a religion or spiritual path, or you may not.
But either way, you put thought and real depth into your search for truth and what makes you tick.
This leads to a special and powerful journey towards your own spiritual evolution and authenticity that can be lacking in those who focus more on the external world.
11) Your shyness attracts people who are willing to put in the time
Another of the surprising benefits of being an introvert is that you end up attracting people who are more patient.
Those who find ways to get to know you are compelled to relate at a deeper level, because you won’t fall for the surface level chatter or gossip.
This makes your relationships and friendships deeper, as I mentioned.
It also makes you end up connecting with the kind of people who are more patient and mature because they are willing to take the time to get to know someone with many layers under the surface.
12) You have more self-knowledge including of your faults
Knowing where you fall short can be the biggest strength you have.
None of us are perfect and we all have ways we don’t measure up to our own standards or what’s required of us.
Knowing this is an advantage, and introverts are more likely to have higher self-knowledge and be aware of their own weak points.
Consider that a mark in the plus column.
13) You’re less likely to be a follower of unhealthy trends
Just because everyone is doing something doesn’t mean it’s healthy or good.
This is a benefit of being an introvert:
There’s a real lack of drive to follow trends and popular items just because everyone else is.
And sometimes this lack of need to follow trends can be a huge blessing, especially in very simple ways like not getting stressed about the latest media reporting or political scandal.
You’re introverted and you’re on your own path.
And sometimes that makes all the difference.
14) You’re more attuned to avoid toxic relationships
Another of the surprising benefits of being an introvert is that your own self-knowledge and sensitivity makes you pick up (and ditch) on unhealthy relationships much more quickly.
You can spot codependency a mile away and you don’t want any part of it.
That might make relationships rarer, like I said, but it also means they’re likely to be deeper.
Avoiding all the toxic bs is absolutely worth it.
15) You learn more quickly than extroverts
The introvert has a distinct advantage in learning.
You’re able to focus more closely, as I mentioned, and you absorb information more quickly than a non-introverted individual.
Because of your own more mentally connected state, you’re able to process and understand things that take others more time.
Make no mistake about it, that’s an advantage!
16) You don’t need lots of stimulation to feel great
When you’re an introvert, you draw energy from being alone or in socially neutral and low-key situations.
This is actually a huge benefit.
You don’t need a major party or a get-together to feel OK.
You don’t need to meet your friend with benefits to feel satiated, nor do you need to go to a concert.
You feel good curled up with a decent book and enjoying your own life.
You feel good with your own company.
As Norbert Hires observes, there is, “A huge potential in that you don’t need almost anything to relax. To develop self-knowledge, you need silence, inward attention, and thinking, which, as an introvert, is your natural medium.”
The perks of being a wallflower
Being introverted can feel lonely sometimes.
But it’s a valuable and advantageous way of approaching the world if you look at it the right way.
Just remember that being an introvert isn’t a defect or a curse, it’s a way of relating to the world that’s deep, meaningful and full of blessings.
