The rise of the introvert — or is it?

Introversion and extroversion are at the heart of human nature. The Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist Carl Jung said, ‘There is no such thing as a pure introvert or extrovert. Such a person would be in a lunatic asylum’. There is, however, a general agreement that many of us fall somewhere along the introvert: extrovert spectrum with those falling smack bang in the middle described as ‘ambiverts’.

The best way to self-diagnose is to consider where you felt the most energised pre-COVID-19. Did you find yourself more energised amongst groups of people, enjoying the interaction and loving the noise of multiple conversations? Or did you prefer time alone to re-energise, enjoying the silence and space to be alone with your thoughts, reading a book, writing or taking a walk? If your preference is the latter, you tend to err on the side of introversion.