For Introverts, Lockdown is a Chance to Play to Our Strengths

Yesterday morning I spent an hour doing a jigsaw puzzle, followed by a game of Scrabble, fortified by tea and scones. For once, there was no one I had to see and nowhere I had to be. The way we live now has split us in two. For introverts, it’s largely business as usual. But for my more extroverted friends, who are clamouring for Zoom calls to fill the gaping hole the pub has left in their lives, it’s a deeply testing time.

I’m an introvert, which means I need time alone to recharge. This doesn’t mean I hate socialising, but it may well mean I will feel stressed and fatigued if I’m not left on my own for a while afterwards.

On the flipside, extroverts are energised by time spent with other people and are often, though not always, more outgoing. In the 1960s the German psychologist Hans Eysenck suggested the reason behind this difference lies in our environmental sensitivity. Introverts need lower levels of stimulation to reach their “set point” of social arousal than extroverts, leading them to seek an escape into quiet solitude sooner.

So it makes sense that we introverts are finding lockdown easier than our extroverted counterparts. They are struggling to reverse their behaviour, which I sympathise with – I can’t imagine what it would feel like to suddenly have to live life the other way round, with the government forcing me to socialise relentlessly. The thought of having to meet and talk to new people day and night without the possibility of withdrawing alone to recharge my batteries makes me feel nauseous.

Natasha Tiwari, a psychologist with a practice in London, agrees that self-isolation plays to an introvert’s strengths, but notes the importance of recognising that introversion and extroversion exist on a fluid scale. It’s natural to find things tough, however you identify. “Introversion and extroversion are not binary concepts,” she says. “Many of us flick between them depending on our mood, environment and the people surrounding us. The key is to work out how to attain the right balance in your lifestyle to support your mental health.”

For once, there is no guilt about wanting to stay at home

In his 2011 paper on introversion, the American psychologist Jonathan Cheek argued that there are four main types of introvert: anxious, restrained, thinking and social – though overlap is normal. Anxious introverts struggle with shyness, often avoiding other people. Restrained introverts can enjoy socialising, but will stay in their shell until they feel comfortable. Thinking introverts are happy around others but are prone to daydreaming, and social introverts enjoy meeting friends but prefer to do so in intimate groups.

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