Introversion and shyness are different concepts.
I’ve written about this. Many, many other bloggers have written about this. Susan Cain even mentioned this in her TED talk that has over 10 million views.
And yet shy is how three prominent online dictionaries have defined “introvert.”
A week and a half ago I called on the community to contact dictionaries and tell them to change their definition of introvert. Thank you to everyone who did!
It’s time to move on to the next phase. Introvert Dear and I are partnering up and launching a petition to ask Google, Dictionary.com, Oxford Dictionary, and Cambridge Online Dictionaries to change their definition of introvert. Not only are their definitions hurtful, but they’re also inaccurate.
We’d like Google and the online dictionaries listed above to change their definition to:
An introvert is someone who has a preference for minimally stimulating environments, due to a difference in the way sensory input is processed in the introvert’s brain.
Introverts have a preference for low stimulation environments. Shyness is the fear of a negative social reaction. Not all introverts are shy. And not all shy people are introverts. There are a lot of shy extroverts out there – someone who is shy at first, but warms up and becomes more energetic after a few hours of socializing.
Join me, Thea, Jenn Granneman from Introvert Dear, and introvert thought leaders, in telling these dictionaries that their definition of introvert is wrong by signing this petition.
Sign this petition asking Google and other dictionaries to change their definition of the word “introvert.”
We promise not to spam you or share your email address with others.
Then share on social media, because every signature helps.
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As someone who identifies as both introverted and shy it has been hugely healing to me to realise there was a difference. From a young age I’ve been given the feedback that being shy is negative and I need to ‘get it over it’ and I tried, I really tried. Following a CBT type approach I tried to throw myself constantly into situations that would challenge me such as going to parties etc. and I found it tiring and I got more and more depressed about it. I watched people I had grown up with overcome shyness and become happy and confident people but that did not seem to happen for me. I thought there was something wrong with me, that I was broken and a failure at life. Learning the difference between shyness and introversion helped me to realise that my approach to dealing with shyness was all wrong for me and that it was draining me rather than building up my confidence. I have now learnt to embrace shyness and to take a more gentle approach to dealing with it, which allows me to also embrace my introverted nature.