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Are you introverted or extroverted?

Introverted or Extrpverted?

  • Introverted

    Votes: 165 76.4%

  • Extroverted

    Votes: 51 23.6%
  • Total voters
    216
#41
I've actually been thinking about this a lot over the past year.

I was pretty quiet when I was a young kid (not shy, just quiet).
In middle school and high school I opened up and was very extroverted and open towards people, and I was really well liked by everyone at my schools.
However, ever since I got into college I've been very introverted. I don't know why I've been this way, but I simply don't open up or joke around with people (even close friends) like I use to. I've been trying to fix this and open up more but I don't know how :hmm:

Anyone got any advice?
 
#42
I am somewhere in between. I have no problem going up to someone whom I've never met and starting a conversation. I am usually the one who is cracking jokes and having fun. When I'm on stage, I am usually very introverted. I have been criticized for being expressionless. Kind of like John Entwistle. People are always telling me to smile more on stage. It's not that I don't enjoy what I am doing, but it seems the smaller the venue, the more introverted I become. I hate the idea of having people a few feet away staring at me. When I have played on large stages in front of large crowds, I usually feel more comfortable and open up a little more. The largest crowd I played in front of was 25,000. I was moving around and had a lot of fun but for some reason small venues bother me.
 
#43
I would say I'm an extrovert. I'm out there and loud all the time when I'm out in the world. On stage not so much. I play my heart out and get lost in the music. In our on stage pictures of me my eyes are either closed or focused on my bass. But once I'm off all ether attention goes to the people around me.
 
#44
jmattbassplaya said:
I've actually been thinking about this a lot over the past year.

I was pretty quiet when I was a young kid (not shy, just quiet).
In middle school and high school I opened up and was very extroverted and open towards people, and I was really well liked by everyone at my schools.
However, ever since I got into college I've been very introverted. I don't know why I've been this way, but I simply don't open up or joke around with people (even close friends) like I use to. I've been trying to fix this and open up more but I don't know how :hmm:

Anyone got any advice?
Click to expand...

You're thinking to much about what to say. Not everything yous ay needs to be brilliant or witty as long as you say it. Stop second doubting saying something before you say it.
 
#45
I've noticed I slowly become more extroverted, which is good because I was a little to much of an introverted. I find myself to be pretty comfortable on stage, wearing my warwick and playing some groovy lines. I still appreciate a good day on my own reading or watching a movie, though. i think it's best to be balanced
 
#48
I'm an ambivert. I'm comfortable with anything social related and I don't mind chilling by myself. It all depends on what situation I am in.

I rock out on energetic songs and move a little less on calmer songs.
 
#50
All depends on the situation. When I was in bands I always acted in a leadership role to get things as good as possible. But onstage I was content to just be a part of something. If the spotlight never landed on me it sure didn't ruin my night.
 
#54
Usually the split here depends on how a person "recharges" when they need to. This is a continuum, so it's not a one thing or the other. You can be anywhere from one extreme to the other, and in different spots depending on your mood or situation.

Generally speaking, introverts want/need to go be alone or with one other person to recharge, while extroverts get a bit stir crazy when alone for very long and really get revved up by being out with other people.

There are many people who are more introverted, but can be the life of the party in a fun situation or on stage. They just need their "alone time" to recharge later. The more extroverted types need little or no alone time to recharge.

(yes they call me doctor at work :p)
 
#55
Mega-introvert here. Interesting that the poll results are trending heavily toward introversion. That's not reflective of the general population distribution, but perhaps a thread like this is more likely to attract the attention of introverts in the first place. It seems to me that we introverts tend to be more self-conscious about our social inclinations than extroverts are.

Or maybe the stereotype of the shy bassist has some truth to it? Here are some more grossly generalized personality stereotypes to consider for fun:

Guitarists: attention-craving and prideful
Keyboardists: introverted and brainy
Singers: very extroverted and shallow
Drummers: competitive and sometimes crazy!

I have to say that IME, I have known lots of players who fit those molds pretty well, but of course there are plenty of exceptions. For some reason, I've found that drummers seem to have the most varied personalities of all.
 
#56
I'm introverted mostly I guess. I always enjoy finding people I can have a long conversation with about anything though. I guess I'm more picky of who I'm friends with if anything. So maybe I just seem introverted because of my bias towards intelligence? Intelligent people seem rare in the real world. The internet seems like a good place to find them though. They generally "hang out" in the same places.
 
#57
bassandbeyond said:
<snip>

Or maybe the stereotype of the shy bassist has some truth to it? Here are some more grossly generalized personality stereotypes to consider for fun:

Guitarists: attention-craving and prideful
Keyboardists: introverted and brainy
Singers: very extroverted and shallow
Drummers: competitive and sometimes crazy!

<snip>
Click to expand...
I find every keyboardist I know to actually be very extroverted. But I'd certainly agree they seem to know a lot. Generally a lot of sound engineers especially. Computer music and synthesisers being their speciality.
 
#58
SR505bassman said:
Usually the split here depends on how a person "recharges" when they need to. This is a continuum, so it's not a one thing or the other. You can be anywhere from one extreme to the other, and in different spots depending on your mood or situation.

Generally speaking, introverts want/need to go be alone or with one other person to recharge, while extroverts get a bit stir crazy when alone for very long and really get revved up by being out with other people.

There are many people who are more introverted, but can be the life of the party in a fun situation or on stage. They just need their "alone time" to recharge later. The more extroverted types need little or no alone time to recharge.

(yes they call me doctor at work :p)
Click to expand...

I'd like to add on to this, seeing as how I regularly test INTJ (Introverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, Judging-- although I occasionally test INTP) on the Meyers-Briggs test. I would like to dispel the myth that introverts want nothing to do with people and are socially-awkward. It has nothing to do with that.

As SR505Bassman touched-upon, it is more about what stimulates you. Extroverts, generally find social interaction stimulating. Introverts, on the other hand, generally find social interaction (at least with a high number of people, or extended periods of time) mentally and emotionally draining.

I can relate to this, because I'm a bartender. I have to deal with people every second for 9 hours a day. If someone brings up a topic I have a great interest in, like music, the Pittsburgh Steelers, or whisky, then I can hold conversation at great length, so long as the discussion stimulates me on some intellectual level. If people insist on talking to me about things I really couldn't give a shite about, then I find myself struggling to do so much as nod and smile at the right intervals, then look for some sort of work to pull me away from said discussion.

Browsing forums, taking in other peoples' experiences and contributing my own, is something I find stimulating. The same goes for reading a book, doing some math problems (I'm studying to be an engineer), or jotting down some ideas for a future project bass on a tablet of paper (I've got a lot of ideas, but very little funding!).

For those reasons, I'm happy being the bassist. I'm happy not being on the spotlight. The only downside of that is when the gig is over, both the frontman and the guitardist(s) get the first pick of the girls!
 
#60
Skitch it! said:
I read an interview with Kate Bush a while back (strangely enough) and she was asked 'What's calmed you down?' she replied 'Just Life, I think... Life gets to you, doesn't it?

Even multimillionaires whom live in ivory towers feel it, saying that, Kate is a bit of a sensitive soul, but a thought that I wouldn't disagree with completely.

Have you subtracted any of the things you enjoy doing, outlets you would usually enjoy? Any circular thinking involved? If you don't mind me asking ; )
Click to expand...

I can agree with the 'life gets to you' bit :p

I stopped playing sports and doing music in ensemble/big band settings once I got to college. I also found myself too busy with school work to ever go hang out with friends on a regular basis. I also don't keep in contact with people as much as I use to, either.
Honestly, I think a lot of it is school getting in the way of me having any sort of social life. I'll wake up at 7 in the morning and will basically go nonstop with classes and homework until 12am the next morning.
But what makes it so weird for me is that whenever I find myself in group settings I never know what to say or do. I use to always have something to say or ask another person, but in recent years I have found myself without anything to say or talk about :hmm:
 

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