Now that we’re living in peak hygge and JOMO culture, self-identifying as an introvert comes with a certain cool-factor—right? Wrong. Well, at least according to a new published study that found that most subjects felt that society prefers the outgoing and bold over quiet and circumspect.
The research, which was was published in The Journal of Happiness, asked 300 Australian adults to answer questions to determine their level of introversion, as well as ones that concerned whether or not they’d prefer to be more extroverted, reports The Cut. The results undeniably swung in favor of extraverted characteristics with a whopping 96 percent of participants agreeing that the traits associated with that personality type were more “socially desirable” than those of their less loquacious counterparts.
On a day-to-day basis, almost 54 percent of the subjects reported wanting to be more extraverted, and 82 percent said they felt obligated to flex their affable muscles when navigating certain social situations. Meaning, your introvert status might earn you points when it comes to at-home pursuits like multi-masking, reading, and ASMR-ing, but for the sake of your rep, you might consider adopting extroverted camouflage when venturing out to networking events. Since that’s far easier said than done though, keep reading to learn a few tricks.
Keep scrolling to learn how to pretend you’re extroverted in social situations, you know, if you really want to.
1. Bring a little home-style comfort to the party.
So you can’t bring Netflix with you when you join your friends for drinks, but you can take something with your that makes you feel more like yourself. Say, a zen-channeling crystal or a blanket scarf to show off your beyond chill demeanor? Let whatever object you choose be your anchor for the evening.
2. Nod your head during conversations.
Apart from smiling, one study found that participants who looked at computer-generated, animated women found them 30 percent more likable and 40 percent more approachable when they nodded, compared to when they shook their heads or held them still. So when in doubt, nod it out.
3. Own your signature makeup look.
Whether your go-to look involves a red lip, a light dusting of shimmery eyeshadow, or both, make sure to rock it the next time you need to be bold. After all, “OMG, I love your lipstick,” is an excellent conversation starter.
Rather than running through the standard Q&A (How’s it going? What do you do? Do you like it?), prepare a few deeper-diving questions ahead of time that invite your new acquaintance to share some details. For instance, ask, “What’s your favorite thing about what you do?” That way, they’ll give you more material for a follow-up question.
5. Don’t interrupt.
No one likes an awkward silence, but taking a deep breath before responding to someone can help you in two psychologically-backed ways. First, it gives the other person a moment to continue on if they want to. And second, by granting yourself a little extra time to decide the appropriate thing to say next.
Apart from identifying as introverted or extroverted, there are so many other ways to get to know your personality. For example, the Myers-Briggs personality test, or the more woo woo method of numerology.
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