Introverts and Intellectuals; Are they really two sides of the same coin?

There has always been a debate around which personality type is better; introverts or extroverts? What amuses me is, the people who are trying to figure under which trait they fall are debating on which is better! Anyway, this is the topic for another article. In this, let’s try to break a very common myth around introverts.

Have you ever come across a line or similar line, ‘oh, that person is super intellectual because he/she/they are an introvert.’?This simple line raises so many questions in my mind starting with; is it really true? Why is intellectualism related to Introverts? Why can’t an extrovert person be an intellectual? Do we understand the meaning of intellectual? Etc. With this, let’s try to bust some of the myths around ‘Intellectuals = Introverts’

First of all, let’s understand, who are introverts? – in short and crisp, a person with qualities of a personality type known as introversion. They prefer focusing on inner thoughts and ideas rather than what is happening externally. They are comfortable and enjoy spending time in small groups (max 2-3 people).

Now, let’s understand, who are intellectuals? – A person who likes to engage in critical thinking, research, and reflect during discussions over a specific topic. They often enjoy attention in huge gatherings with their interesting take over various topics of discussion. Hmm, that indicates that intellectuals are good speakers, love attention when there is discussion over a topic of their interest.

There is a degree of extroversion in intellectuals. Conversations, openness to ideas, and communication skills are all qualities of extroverts.

Confused? Sorry for that!

So, to clear the confusion, above pointers indicate that intellectuals are not defined based on personality types. Therefore, when you hear someone saying ‘oh, that person is an intellectual because he/she/they are an introvert’ do dig deeper and correct them ??

PS: A small disclaimer, I am not a subject matter expert here, the content in this article is based on personal experience and little bit of online research. Happy reading!