Joyce Ann Isidro
Extroverts are known to be the life of the party. The type of person who feels comfortable in a crowd, whom everyone wants to sit next to at brunch parties…
…but this is not always true.
While it may be accurate for a lot of extroverts, it definitely does not apply for every single one of them.
This is because extroversion is a spectrum, and on the other end of that spectrum is introversion.
Some extroverts, while they lean towards extroversion more than introversion, are somewhere near the middle. These extroverts are sometimes called ‘introverted extroverts’ or ‘ambiverts’.
This means that, despite what many of us might believe, a lot of extroverts are actually perfectly happy being alone.
Wondering if this is you?
Read more to learn if you have the 6 signs of an extrovert who’s perfectly happy being alone!
1) You like being around other people, but are also happy in your own company
One of the most common stereotypes about extroverts is that they constantly want to be around other people and can absolutely not stand being alone.
But this is not always true.
While extroverts thrive in crowds and large groups of people, it’s not true that they can never stand being alone.
Being alone is only intolerable for them when they are forced to be, such as when the world went into lockdown at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, extroverts can also find joy in being alone when they choose to be.
And if you’re an extrovert who’s perfectly happy being alone, you can probably relate.
You know you are not socializing machines that never run out of energy. Much like everybody else, you also need time to rest and relax, which is why you find benefit in being alone.
In fact, you probably set aside some time to reflect, breathe, and rest from the constant hustle and bustle of a very demanding world.
This means that extroverts also like engaging in activities alone as much as they love to do such activities with friends.
2) You like making plans on the weekend, but also like an empty schedule
Many extroverts like going out on the weekend. Perhaps they drink with friends on Fridays after work, watch drag shows on Saturday nights, or go to the movies with their significant others on Sunday afternoons.
But as an extrovert that values alone time, while you like making plans on the weekend, you also like having an empty schedule. There’s just something about an empty calendar that makes you sigh a breath of relief—a feeling you won’t trade for anything else!
Having an empty schedule means you’re free to do whatever you want—whether that’s watching YouTube videos all day or catching up on your favorite TV shows all night, and you just love having this sense of freedom.
And because you’re a socialite who values having a sense of freedom and independence, this means you’re friends with many people, but are just as fine spending time on your own.
3) You’re friends with many people, but are fine spending time on your own
There’s no question that extroverts have many friends. This is because their charm and great socialization skills enables them to easily befriend others, even if it’s people they have just met.
And as an extrovert, even if you have many friends, you’re just as fine spending time on own.
While you like going out with friends, you also like going out on your own. This means you don’t mind eating out, strolling around in malls, and going to the movies alone.
Even if there’s still a societal stigma around doing such activities on your own, you don’t really mind the judgment as long as you know you’re enjoying yourself.
This kind of attitude means that you also are not one to seek the validation of others as an extrovert who loves to be alone.
4) You like to stay updated, but also like to get disconnected every once in a while
One of my extroverted friends once told me that they went off social media once, and it was life changing. Since then, instead of being their usual, chronically online self, their online presence has become rather sporadic.
They told me that this was because they’ve never felt as much peace as they did when they went off social media—and I think this is true for a lot of extroverts.
Although extroverts are generally perceived as socialites who like to stay updated, once they find the joy and the beauty of disconnecting, there’s no going back.
If you’ve done this before as an extrovert who values alone time, you probably get it.
On the other hand, if you haven’t done this before, I say go for it!
I promise it will be as life-changing for you as it was for my friend if you think you are an extrovert who finds happiness in being alone.
The kind of peace that being disconnected can offer is just one-of-a-kind, and I’m sure it’s hard to find anywhere else in a world that demands you to be chronically online.
5) You like to chat, but also find peace in silence
Without a doubt, extroverts like to chat. As an introverted person myself with many extroverted friends, I can say this with confidence.
Because I have many extroverted friends, I find that my friendships have been easier with extroverts, because I can stay quiet for long periods of time in our times together and it would never be boring for either of us.
However, while extroverts like to chat, extroverts who find value in being alone can also enjoy silence—and if you’re one of them, I’m sure you can relate.
As we’ve previously established, while extroverts are good at socializing, they’re not machines made to constantly entertain and interact with other people. They can also find peace in silence and solitude.
This type of peace allows you to reflect and self-evaluate—two things you might feel to be beneficial for your well-being as an extrovert.
And just like you value silence and solitude, you also like to live by your own expectations over any others’.
6) You listen to the people around you, but don’t live by their expectations of you
At this point in the article, we already know that some extroverts can enjoy solitude as much as they enjoy other people’s company.
One of the reasons why is because solitude gives you a certain type of individuality: the kind that frees you from others’ expectations.
When we’re with other people, whether we like it or not, they always have an expectation from us. For extroverts, this expectation is usually to entertain, break the ice at parties, or help others socialize.
While these are things that extroverts enjoy, extroverts who like to be alone sometimes like to be relieved of these expectations.
This is why you like to live life by your own standards, and not by those set by society.
Yes, you will entertain other people and socialize, but out of your own volition—and you apply this philosophy in other areas of your life as well.
You might listen to what other people say, but at the end of the day, it’s your life, not theirs. You like to live life by your own expectations, doing what you love, and absolutely nothing and no one can stop you from doing so.
