Introverts: MISUNDERSTOOD or MISANTHROPES?
According to some studies, a third to half of all Americans are introverts – that’s one out of every two to three people. And, given that Americans are a decidedly ‘HEY, LOOK AT ME’ nation, the number is bound to be at least as high, if not higher, in other parts of the world. Finnish people, for instance, are notoriously introverted, as evidenced by this Finnish joke: How do you know if a Finn likes you? He is staring at your shoes instead of his own.
If 50 percent sounds like a lot, that’s because the world is filled with introverts passing themselves off as extroverts. ‘I’d say 90 percent of my acquaintances don’t even know that I’m an introvert because I take such pains to hide it,’ writes self-professed introvert Jessica Pan in her recent book, Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to. ‘After-work drinks? Sorry, I’m very busy. Lunch at the pub? Can’t, I have plans (eating ramen alone in blissful solitude). Co-workers just think that inside the office I’m distracted, and outside the office I have a full social calendar and debilitating face blindness.’
