5 introvert superpowers

Living as an introvert in an extroverted society creates a lot of difficult challenges. I keep hoping that increased understanding about the true nature of introversion and extroversion will help balance out society’s views, but we shall see. Today I wanted to focus on some of the awesome traits that introverts have. You might even call them superpowers. As always, these are based on my own experiences and may not be something all introverts relate to 🙂

1. Mastery of real, genuine conversation.

We have incredible listening skills, honed through our years growing up. We listen attentively and show the other person we’re engaged in what they’re saying. We ask appropriate questions, nod encouragingly, and know how to use eye contact and body language. We can gauge people’s reactions to our words and can adjust our approach accordingly. We also crave and enjoy deep conversation. As a result, we know how to contribute to an engaging conversation while giving others the chance to share their views.

2. Ability to be alone without being lonely.

I know a lot of people who are extremely uncomfortable being alone, even for short periods of time. An introvert on the other hand, while they enjoy socialization in small doses, has no problem being by themselves. In fact, alone time is the way we get our energy back. This is such a huge strength and means we’re probably a lot more comfortable with ourselves than others might be with themselves. We can still experience loneliness, everyone needs people, but we don’t view alone time as a negative thing.

3. Incredible observational powers.

We take everything in. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve mentioned things I’ve seen and the person with me hadn’t even noticed. We observe people, their mannerisms, emotions, reactions, and get a picture of who they really are. One of my friends was surprised by how much I knew about them, simply by paying attention. Since everything we see gets analyzed and recorded, it helps us to understand others better and aids in our relationships.

4. Ability to create meaningful connections.

Introverts are often able to see past the exterior ‘mask’ that a person puts up. We have a greater understanding of who they really are and we care for others in a deep way. If you’re my friend, you’re a hugely important part of my life and I will do everything in my power to understand and support you. We not only relate to how others feel, we feel it too. We understand that no one is perfect and we accept others despite their idiosyncrasies.

5. Rock-solid inner strength.

Being introverted isn’t easy. From a young age, we’re told how we don’t fit into society’s mold. We’ve come up with coping strategies: ways to get our quiet time when we need it and strategies for doing hard things. As an introvert in an extroverted world, we’ve adapted ourselves to fit. Things like public speaking and introducing yourself to strangers forces us to push past our comfort zones. And that makes us strong.

What are some other introvert super powers?

Image credit: “31/52” by lauren rushing is licensed under CC by 2.0