On the surface, the idea of people sharing the same motivation for happiness based on a personality type sounds far-fetched.
It would be like reading your horoscope and thinking that everyone born in the same month will have the same outcome for that day.
If my horoscope says, “Today, you will receive the benefits of a pleasing personality.”
Rest assured that many Sagittarians will receive salary increases, wedding engagements, and new cars on that day.
However, individuals having similar human experiences at the same time should not be shocking. It’s not prophetic; it’s inevitable.
Although our environment and genetic makeup play a huge role in manifesting our personalities, data suggest that personality traits share common characteristics.
Understanding this phenomenon may assist us in determining what makes introverts happy and what types of people bring us joy.
Liz Lynch, author of the book Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online, said:
When we don’t need anything and simply interact with the people around us—with the other students in our classroom, the other players on our sports team, the other professionals in our office, our neighbors next door—we build relationships organically. Proximity leads to conversation and shared experiences, bringing us closer and more conversation and shared experiences. Over time strong bonds form without force or fakery.
As an introvert, Lynch’s perspective resonates with me because I can’t remember how the people and things that bring me the most happiness in life began.
Yes, I can recount how I met someone, but I can’t tell you the moment we connected at a deeper level. After all, I have met many people and only connected superficially.
I am enamored by the idea that if we can isolate the few things in life that make us happy and focus primarily on building from that construct, more happiness can emerge.
Although some personality types thrive on spontaneity and living on the edge, I flourish when things are more cerebral, structured, and systematic.
Consequently, life should be built on the core of one’s personality and the organic developments of a lived life.
80/20 rule of life
Carla Tardi, a digital content producer for Investopedia, outlined the concept of the 80/20 rule by saying:
The 80-20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, is an aphorism that asserts that 80% of outcomes (or outputs) result from 20% of all causes (or inputs) for any given event.
The 80/20 rule applies to any event in life. Consequently, most people and introverts are unhappy when they fail to concentrate on the critical activities that will afford the most significant degree of happiness.
Consequently, happiness is not merely a choice but a scientific metric that purports that focused attention on 20% of essential activities will provide 80% of your happiness.
The task becomes uncovering the 20% of the activities that generate this happiness.
It all starts with understanding introverts’ core needs and primarily creating a lifestyle that will produce an optimal outcome.
What core traits do introverts share?
A freelance writer for Simply Psychology, Olivia Guy-Evans, noted that introverts prefer fewer stimulating activities, favoring reading, writing, or meditating.
Here are a few introverted traits that Guy-Evans lists that serve as a building block for creating a happy lifestyle for introverts:
- Energized by being alone
- Quiet and reserved in large groups or around unfamiliar people
- Process their thoughts in their head rather than talk them out
- More sociable and gregarious around people they know well
- Learns well through observation
By dissecting commonly accepted traits of introverts, we can invest our 20% in activities that will allow introverts to enjoy 80% happiness.
The Introverted lifestyle makes introverts happier.
Using Olivia Guy-Evans’ core traits of introverts, writer Charles Lieberman aligns the foundation of creating the introverted lifestyle for happiness in his article, How to Achieve More with an Introverted Lifestyle.
Lieberman recommended:
Creating a learning environment
Creating original content through text, visual, or audible media is more accessible when the necessary research has been completed. The world is replete with ill-conceived opinions lacking intellectual rigor.
Scholarly content is problematic because it requires active study and concise language.
Society’s overdependence on memes and shortcuts that convey abbreviated communication methods does not unpack the complexity of high culture thoughts and ideas.
The content derived from the introverted lifestyle is not geared toward the general population but toward the populace that values education and intellectual prowess.
Focusing on mental and physical wellness
Within this context, fitness entails mental wellness and physical well-being.
Reportedly, Microsoft’s Bill Gates gets his most significant inspiration through long walks reminiscent of Albert Einstein.
A daily fitness regimen allows a finely tuned mind and body to operate at optimal capacity.
Proper nutrition centered around a plant-based diet allows maximum productivity by maintaining a healthy digestive system.
Because the introverted lifestyle is steeped in self-reliance, the engine that makes all things possible must be adequately cared for.
Involving yourself in work that matters
According to Professor Larry Stewart, former graduate degree coordinator at Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia, scholarly research and analysis fill intellectual gaps and build work on past research.
For Professor Stewart, scholarly work is not a “one-off” process but an endless cycle pursuing objective truth.
Consequently, adherents to the introverted lifestyle are dedicated to a daily diet of periodicals, newspapers, trade magazines, and biographies.
Because introverts are hardwired for seeking patterns, disparate ideas and concepts can be corralled into a logical framework.
In this context, the introverted lifestyle is a laboratory for vetting viable research foundational for creating articles and position papers.
Developing relationships intellectually before emotionally
Researcher Edward Brown talked about the hardwiring of introverts as strategists in relationships in his article, How Strategic Thinking Introverts Develop Relationships Differently. Brown said:
Strategists never turn off that part of the brain constantly evaluating or judging. Strategists have already observed if you gain a mere 5 pounds of body weight. Misuse a word or out of context; they are on it.
You can’t hide anything from strategists because they are in tune with your mental and physical states and any changes that arise. And once more, how they look at you tells you what they know. You feel naked and vulnerable.
They are a combination of Mr. Spock of Star Trek and Batman.
To truly appreciate strategists, you have to be socialized and hardwired differently. You have to appreciate order, symmetry, and regimentation already; otherwise, you’ll feel like you’re being dragged within the relationship.
Engaging in educational entertainment
Introverts don’t have the luxury of turning off their brains. And to suggest that they stop overthinking matters will fall on deaf ears.
It must be thoughtful if studio heads and media content creators want introverts to enjoy their content.
Introverts will suspend some reality for the sake of dramatic license. But don’t ask them to betray character development within a movie or reenactment. Introverts learn even when they are being entertained.
Introverts should select actors and media brands with a track record of intellectual stimulation while entertaining for an enjoyable experience.
Although life can be promising, long-term happiness largely hinges on deliberate choices.
Introverts who intentionally create a lifestyle for happiness by focusing on 20% of the essentials will enjoy 80% of the joy that others can only imagine.
Introverts can enjoy random occurrences of happiness by relying on luck or being intentional about consistent, systematic happiness.
Is the choice yours?
It certainly is.
—Jane Woodard
References
Guy-Evans, O. (2020, Nov. 9). Introvert and extrovert personality traits. Simply Psychology. Retrieved from: https://bit.ly/3fTcqqY.
Lynch, L. (2009, Oct. 15). Building relationships organically – Part 1. Personal Branding Blog. Retrieved from: https://bit.ly/3fQgUhM.
Tardi, C. (2020, May 25). 80-20 rule. Investopedia. Retrieved from: https://bit.ly/3tRSVqK.