Advantages of being an introvert - Benefits that make an introvert's life worth living

There are many publications and articles which address topics like "How to be an extrovert" or "How to go from being an introvert to an extrovert" Why is there such a need to change the personality and behavior of an introvert? After all, an introvert's life is full of pleasure, happiness, enjoyment and satisfaction like no other. Find it hard to believe? Let's look at the advantages of being an introvert.

1) Introverts don't need company to enjoy

Unlike extroverts, introverts don't really require company or to be in a social setting amongst friends and colleagues to enjoy themselves. This advantage of being an introvert is more than what meets the eye. Let us clarify that 'not needing company' should not be equated to leading a life of a loner.

Introverts generally have a few close friends with whom they may have a very intimate relationship. However they don't necessarily need to be in the company of dozens of friends to have a good time. Introverts can find the most intricate of things to keep themselves busy and happy even in solitary environments.

2) Introverts don't need to spend big to entertain themselves

Going out for parties, going out for dinners, going to the pub, etc are some of the typical entertainment options for an extrovert. As one would imagine, all this costs a lot of money. On the other hand, introverts have the advantage of being easily entertained without having to spend heaps of money.

Whether it is time spent playing a musical instrument, surfing the internet, watching TV or playing video games, entertainment options for introverts are much more affordable than those of an extrovert.

3) An introvert's life has less complication

As they have less people around them, introverts are less likely to have social and moral complications in life as compared to an extrovert. Introverts are generally concerned only with their own lives and are happy to lead a solitary yet fulfilling existence.

As introverts are also considered introspective, they generally think twice before engaging themselves in a new activity or with a new group of people. All this leads to a life that has less complication in which the penultimate goal is self fulfillment rather than living a life for the happiness of others.

4) Introverts can enjoy all the pleasures of life

Let's take a classic situation to elaborate this advantage of being an introvert. Below are typical answers that an introvert and an extrovert might give when asked the question "How was your weekend? What did you do?"

Extrovert: "Oh the weekend was great. We had a big Friday night and I ended up nursing a hangover on Saturday. I went out for dinner with some friends on Saturday night and came back late. Sunday went by quick as I had to clear up some mess and prepare for the week ahead"

Introvert: "The weekend was usual. A close friend and I spent Friday evening sipping on some good red wine and watching a classic movie. I drove to a nearby creek on Saturday and sent the afternoon reading a book under the sunny sky. The rest of Saturday and Sunday were spent playing the guitar, surfing my favorite websites and watching episodes of one of my favorite TV shows. Oh and I also spent some time working on my latest painting!"

As you can see, an introvert's weekend was full of some of the simple pleasures of life that may be missed out otherwise.

5) Introverts can enjoy creativeness

Reading, writing, drawing, painting, sculpting, music, designing, crafting, etc are some of the creative activities that are commonly done by introverts. As one would imagine, all these activities are highly creative and require a lot of insight and thought to be put in.

These activities are generally done in solitude and are enjoyed best at a personal level. This indulgence in creativeness is a strong pillar of an introvert's life and is an aspect that an extrovert may not necessarily be exposed to.

6) Introverts can work effectively independently

Ask any manager and they will tell you that introverts can work effectively when left alone. They really don't need the constant moral support or chitter chatter of colleagues to get a job done.

This is the exact reason why introverts can be great artists, sculptors, scientists, musicians, software developers, programmers, number crunchers, writers and much more. This advantage of being an introvert gives immense professional satisfaction and the ability to enjoy one's own job environment.

7) Introverts do what they want to do

Because of the fact that introverts have less complicating elements in their lives, their actions are solely governed by their own satisfaction and happiness. An introvert does not really have many people around them to worry about things like "How will this affect my relationship with Linda?" or "Will Mark feel bad that I did this without him?"

An extrovert on the other hand may need to worry about the social repercussions of his/her actions before doing something. That's because they are under the constant and watchful eyes of the many friends they have. This advantage of being an introvert is loud and clear – "Introverts live life their own way"