This Instagram page, going by the name Introvert Memes, may not be the most active meme account out there, but that’s not an issue because what it lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality.
Like many of these pages, it was created during the heat of the Covid pandemic in 2020. Since then, through 67 handpicked posts, it has attracted over 19,000 followers and keeps slowly but surely expanding further.
Some of these memes are quite hysterical. And surely, more of us can relate to at least some of them than only those who see themselves as true introverts. This leads us to question what it really means to be an introvert or an extrovert.
According to Wikipedia, introverts are described as people who seek less stimulation, recharge their energy alone while reflecting in quiet, think before speaking, value deep experiences and closer friendships with fewer people, favor independence, and avoid the center of attention.
Extroverts, on the other hand, are almost exact opposites, and aside from enjoying the center of attention, they also seek greater stimulation, larger social networks, energize in social places, think out loud, thrive in teams as well as crowds, and value broad experiences.
But it’s extremely rare, if at all possible, for something in life to be 100%, isn’t it? As Aditi Murti of The Waddle wrote, Carl Jung, the founder of analytical psychology and the person responsible for popularizing this personality theory, would most likely agree.
Carl Jung believed that there are no pure extroverts or introverts and that these classifications were intended as points of reference and nothing more. But as it often happens, these names didn’t take long to turn into catchwords, leading to some people overfocusing on them and starting to model their realities accordingly, all the while falling into confirmation bias.
We all have different tendencies that could fit one or the other side, and the research confirms that multiple other factors contribute to determining how we behave in certain situations. So, if we look at these classifications, it puts all of us somewhere in between.
According to Elizabeth Harris of Truity, the people in that middle place are known as ambiverts. They are usually seen as comfortable in social situations but also just as happy to spend time on their own, not minding either hanging out with friends and in crows or participating in some quieter and solitary activities.
But while you might’ve heard of the term ambivert, there is another lesser-known cousin called omnivert. People who are closer to this category are just as well considered to be in the middle. However, their personalities are usually completely situational, depending on where they are, who they’re with, and what they’re doing. They tend to hop from being strongly on one side of the social personality type to the other and being in a new setting can be quite unpredictable.
However, in the end, none of it really matters all that much, as all of these categories are essentially just labels. While they might help us understand our tendencies, they’re more like a tool in the process and not something that defines us.
Humans are constantly changing creatures, and something that fits us one day might not fit the other, so there’s no point in trying to put yourself into a box, especially one that someone else created. But at the same time, it’s always nice to find a place with like-minded individuals, and while none of us might be pure introverts, Introvert Memes can still make us laugh regardless.
What did you think of these memes? What about the story? Which category do you think is the one that fits you the closest? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
