By Meagan Barrett ’15

In society today, everyone is expected to be outgoing, talkative and perpetually social. What’s often overlooked is the fact that some people are not geared to be as expressive, animated, and, well … extroverted as these expectations would suggest. In fact, approximately one out of every three people in the United States is an introvert, and aren’t even aware of it. On the quieter end of the spectrum, introverts tend to be more thoughtful, reserved and less social than extroverts.

The term “introvert” implies that a person is stimulated by internal stimuli, such as ideas and thoughts, while extroverts are stimulated by external stimuli, such as people, places and activities. More than that, there are distinct differences in the way blood flows through the brain, as well as the chemicals released by the brain.

More blood flows to the brain in introverts, causing more stimulation. Extroverts make up for the lack of stimulation by turning to the outside world. The pathway the blood takes through the brain is also longer for introverts, passing through areas that are associated with matters of internal focus, such as memory and planning; simply speaking, introverts spend a lot more time thinking about their thoughts before they share them. Extroverts, on the other hand, think with pathways linked directly to sensory information, producing a response almost at the same time they are processing what someone else has said.

Also, the chemicals needed to feel happiness vary between the two. Extroverts run on dopamine, which activates the sympathetic nervous system and provokes action, rewarding activity and physical accomplishment; however, introverts release acetylcholine, which rewards activities such as thinking and feeling with happiness. Acetylcholine activates the parasympathetic nervous system rather than the sympathetic, and promotes withdrawal from a situation.

A common misconception is that introverted is the same as shy, and extroverted is the same as outgoing, but nothing could be further from the truth. A shy person may very well be an extrovert, meaning they want social interaction but are afraid of it. On the other hand, an introvert can be very sociable and easy to talk to … they may just prefer not to. And introverts don’t necessarily dislike people. They simply can’t handle too much social interaction without getting overstimulated and needing some alone time to cool down.

It’s been argued recently, spearheaded by Susan Caine, author of “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking,” that society is designed for and values extroversion more than introversion. In fact, public schools are one of the most dominant places where the extroversion bias exists. Putting a lot of kids in a big classroom automatically creates a highly stimulating environment. That alone is exhausting for the introvert. However, school also encourages group activities and socialization. If one prefers not to join in, they’re considered shy or quiet. It starts out cute, but as the kid grows older, people see it as a crippling attribute; it appears to hold the person back.

While the intentions of teaching kids to work in groups and “jump in” socially are altruistic, it teaches introverted children to dislike their introversion, and tells them what they feel and prefer is invalid.

Telling this to a child consistently can be detrimental to one’s self esteem. But problems such as these can be fixed by making teachers and school staff aware of the possibility that certain students will be introverts and may need structured alone time in their day.

Allowances could be made to certain students, even in simple ways such as letting a student take a break from the loud and overwhelming classroom while they work independently in the hallway.

Simple solutions like these can easily relieve the stress of spending seven straight hours a day with people, which is far more than most introverts can handle.

The next step after that is for society itself to be made aware of the differences, and recognize that there is nothing less valuable about the way introverts function.

Some of the world’s best thinkers are introverts, and it’s important for society as a whole to recognize that, rather than trying to change the nature of introverts.