#GrowingUpShy: Social media emboldens introverts to share what it's like
Twitter is bringing out the inner thoughts of otherwise shy people.
As the hashtag #GrowingUpShy began trending today, people who identified began to speak up. Tweets from the shy and introverted revealed an array of emotions -- vulnerable, painful and sometimes humorous.
Among the tweets:
#GrowingUpShy as an introvert i ve been subconsciously avoiding everything popular only to enjoy it on my own later
— 'Hasan (@Exala_) July 1, 2016
I'll have you know that I was the loudest, rowdiest, most obnoxious one amongst my imaginary friends. #GrowingUpShy
— Fragile Ego (@StephanieTemo) July 1, 2016
#GrowingUpShy people find it cute when you're a kid but it actually never goes away and now you're an adult and it's called social anxiety
— Kinsei ( ͡° v ͡°) (@_Kinseis) July 1, 2016
In her book, "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" (Random House, 2012), Susan Cain writes that anywhere from a third to half of Americans are introverts, which is sometimes defined slightly differently from shyness.
Cain describes shyness as the fear of negative judgment, while introverts are people who prefer quiet and minimally stimulating environments.
If the numbers surprise, she said, "That's probably because so many people are pretending to be extroverts."
Today's tweets came from both self-described "shy" and "introverted" people.
"Talkative, outgoing people are often considered smarter than quiet-natured types," Cain observed in the book, but there's no link between "the gift of gab and good ideas."
#growingupshy When someone walks by your desk at the end of the day and says "I didn't even know you were here" #Introvert #INFP
— Alice Loring (@atloring) July 1, 2016
As Cain wrote, in a vindication of those on the quiet end of the spectrum: "Some of our greatest ideas, art and inventions -- from the theory of evolution to van Gogh's sunflowers to the personal computer -- came from quiet and cerebral people who knew how to tune in to their inner worlds and the treasures to be found there."