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  • Now, most people have a pretty good idea of whether they're an introvert or an extrovert.

  • So, here's an easy question for you: are you an introvert or an extrovert?

  • Whatever you replied, I'm sure you're right, but there's a little bit more to it.

  • Within introversion and extroversion, you have a lot more detailed personality traits.

  • And understanding more about these can help improve your well-beingparticularly if you're introverted.

  • In the West, we live in a world designed for extroverted behavior.

  • To get ahead in a typical workplace, for example, you have to survive an open plan office, attend conferences and their networking mixers, and do presentations to rooms full of people.

  • In her book "Quiet", Susan Cain calls this The Extrovert Idealthe belief that the ideal self is gregarious,

  • highly social, and comfortable in the spotlight.

  • Even studies have found that extroverted people land more frequently in leadership positions and enjoy higher levels of happiness.

  • A lot of these findings are based on broad definitions, where extroverts are sociable, outgoing, and assertive, and introverts have a more reserved demeanor.

  • But there are many nuances of your personality.

  • A 2017 study looked at which detailed personality traits indicate high levels of well-being.

  • They found that higher enthusiasm predicted positive relationships, self-acceptance, and life satisfaction.

  • Those with more intellectual curiosity experienced more personal growth,

  • which is probably good news for everyone watching this video!

  • And more industrious people were more likely to be satisfied with their purpose in life and experience positive mood.

  • Even if these personality traits aren't well-developed right now,

  • they can evolve over the course of your life.

  • You can aim to be more enthusiastic or industrious over time.

  • But it is a slow change.

  • Another line of research looks at how you feel in your environment right now.

  • This feeling of how well you fit into your surroundings, whether that be your school,

  • workplace or social settings, is known as person-environment fit.

  • A lot of people in the West who are more introverted feel like they don't fit in, so then

  • they fake being extroverted, and this leads to lower self-esteem.

  • This was the basis for a 2018 study, where researchers

  • looked at the relationship between person-environment fit, introverts, and well-being.

  • Participants were asked how introverted or extroverted they are and then how introverted or extroverted they wanted to be.

  • The majority of participants wanted to be more extroverted, particularly those who were introverted.

  • This was largely because they live in a society that values extroversion.

  • More than 80% of the participants said they felt like it was necessary to show extroverted characteristics in just going about their daily life.

  • Now researchers called this desire to be more extroverted than you are your extroversion-deficit belief.

  • And it highlights the importance of self-acceptance in your beliefs.

  • For example, this study found introverts who were self-accepting and comfortable with their

  • introversion experienced higher levels of well-being, closer to those experienced by extroverts.

  • And well-being didn't come from people having a particular personality trait, it came from how their beliefs about themselves interacted with those traits.

  • So becoming more accepting of your introversion and

  • your place on this introversion-extroversion continuum....

  • is essential for introverts to increase their well-being.

  • Luckily, your beliefs can be changed.

  • For starters, remember that schools and workplaces in the West are often geared towards extroverts.

  • Feeling uneasy in these situations doesn't mean that you don't fit in,

  • it means that they weren't designed for you.

  • Focus on your strengths and situations where you can use them.

  • Know that not all introverts are the same.

  • Some are shy, some are anxious, some are reflective, and others just prefer quiet time.

  • A good task is to add a qualifier to how you are introverted, so you can understand more about how you will respond to a specific environment.

  • And don't force yourself to be someone you're not!

  • More than one third of people fall on the more introverted side of the spectrum.

  • You can try to mould your specific personality traits to be more enthusiastic or intellectually curious or industrious over time.

  • And this may lead to increased wellbeing,

  • but the biggest thing that leads to happiness is accepting that being an introvert is okay.

  • It's normal.

  • And practicing self-acceptance leads to the greatest boost in well-being.

Now, most people have a pretty good idea of whether they're an introvert or an extrovert.

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