Do you want to clarify whether you’re an ambivert or not? This article will give you 10 signs to determine if you are an ambivert.
When talking about personality types, two words get tossed around by people. You are either an introvert or an extrovert.
The idea of introversion and extroversion was penned in the early 1920s by psychiatrist Carl Jung. Introverts are a group of people who draw energy from isolated and relaxed situations, while extroverts draw them from more active and socialized situations.
Carl Jung also mentioned a third group, those who belong in the middle of the spectrum. Some are neither extroverts nor introverts. He didn’t have a name for it at the time. It wasn’t until the 1940s psychiatrists gave a name for the third group. Ambiverts.
What Does It Mean If You’re An Ambivert?
Ambiverts fall in the middle of the personality spectrum. If introverts draw energy from solitude and extroverts from crowded atmospheres, ambiverts can feel stimulation from both.
Ambiverts can move around the personality line. They can behave like introverts and extroverts.
Ambiverts can flip their personality type based on their mood, goals, and emotions. They can be as energetic and enthusiastic with extremely social situations like extroverts and they can also prefer more quiet situations and have the thoughtfulness and attentiveness of introverts. They have the best of both worlds, so they say.
Signs You’re an Ambivert
Although not that many people associate themselves with being an ambivert, about two-thirds of all of us are ambiverts. Maybe they just don’t know it. Maybe you’re an ambivert too and you’re just not certain.
If you want to know whether you’re an ambivert or not, here are 10 clear signs that can confirm your ambiversion.
1. You’re an ambivert if you’re comfortable with isolation and crowds
As mentioned, ambiverts can shift their personality types from being extroverts to introverts. With this, you’re an ambivert if you feel comfortable and excited with both crowded parties and just staying in.
Any kind of night can generally be a fun night for you, so long as you’re in the mood for it. Do you get asked out by friends to go to a wild party? You’re game. Your friends come over and you just stay in, pop a bottle of wine, order pizzas, and watch a fun movie? You’re game too.
Other times though, you’re out but you prefer to stay in instead. You can also be stuck at home and miss the outside world. It all depends on your mood and timing.
2. You enjoy giving yourself a break, but you get anxious if it goes on for too long
Whenever you get a significant amount of time off, you get excited. The idea of doing nothing for a while, relaxing, and clearing your mind can be very enticing. This goes on for a while, though, and you start to feel uneasy. You start to crave productivity.
You welcome the idea of being idle for a while, but you can never be still for a long time. You will always find a way to get back out there.
3. You don’t mind small talk, but you do find it boring eventually
Small talk is all fun and good. It’s a good way to break the ice and silence. It can help get conversations going. You’re probably good at it too.
You engage in a small talk every once in a while, might even welcome it, but that’s not all there is to a conversation for you.
You acknowledge the importance of small talk and that’s why you do it with certain people, but you get excited when the conversation becomes deeper. That’s the type of conversation you want to engage in. You can speak with others for hours and hours when it becomes deep and meaningful.
Small talk can become stale and boring for you eventually, but that doesn’t mean you won’t engage in it.
4. You can communicate well and listen well
Making conversation can be easy for you and you don’t mind being the center of attention either. You can talk and communicate with others with ease if you have to.
If you have something to say, you’ll be able to say it. You can speak your ideas properly and a lot of people like listening to you.
On the other hand, when it’s other people’s turn to talk, it’s fine too. When they talk, you listen, and you can listen well.
You have the speaking ability of an extrovert and the attention span necessary to be a good listener of an introvert. Because of this, people usually enjoy being engaged in conversation with you. People consider you as someone who knows what to say and can lend an ear.
5. You can empathize easily
Empathy is your ability to put yourself in the position of others. Whenever they’re telling a story or sharing a situation, you can know exactly what they’re feeling or what they’re trying to say by being empathetic.
Does this sound familiar to you? You probably do it regularly without even thinking about it. If so, there’s a good chance you’re an ambivert.
You can empathize with others easily. It’s natural for you. When they talk and you listen, you can figure out what they’re feeling. Because of that, you can respond well to other people.
Extroverts can use empathy very naturally, and introverts have to practice and be mindful to be good at it. In this sense, you can act as more of an extrovert because it’s something you rarely have to practice at all. The ability to empathize with others is just present within you.
6. You can either trust someone soon or never at all
Trust is a flexible matter when it comes to you. There are some people you seem to trust easily, while there are also others you just can’t seem to trust at all.
This happens to depend on your level of comfort with a person. If you can connect with a person, if you know they’re good people and you can understand one another on a deeper level, you’re highly likely to trust that person sooner.
There are also others you meet who seem untrustworthy from the get-go. There’s just something about their personality and vibe that seems off. This makes you not trust them at all.
With some people, however, you do manage to trust after a while, but it takes longer than others.
You just seem to have this inhibition in you that makes you determine whether a person is trustworthy or not. If this is something you experience with the people you meet, then you’re an ambivert.
7. You’re an ambivert if you can work well in groups and alone
You’re very flexible in your professional life. Some projects just need to be done in groups and you’re fine with that. You can be a team player when you have too. You can even be a team leader. Whatever it is the team needs of you, you do your best to deliver and you do it without question.
When a task can be done alone, you welcome that as well. At certain times, you can work better alone. You’re faster and more productive. Whenever you’re free with your thoughts and you can be freely creative, that’s when you strive.
You’re a team player like an extrovert and you’re creative alone like an introvert. If this is the case for you, then you’re most definitely an ambivert.
8. You often feel indecisive
One struggle you always seem to get yourself in is indecisiveness. Sometimes, even with the most simple things, you just can’t make up your mind.
What do you want to have for dinner? Where do you want your next vacation to be? What do you want to do this weekend? Would you rather read a book or watch a movie or go out with friends tonight? These are very simple queries yet you can get frustrated just deciding which is which.
This is because you’re nature is to be as flexible as they come. Your preference is constantly changing. You oftentimes don’t know what to do because deep inside, you know that what you want isn’t set in stone.
Even when you’ve reached a decision, you can still sometimes think “What if I just went with the other thing? Would that have been better?”
Being indecisive is common for many ambiverts. It might sound charming for others, but you know how frustrating it can be.
9. You love to travel but you can miss home pretty quickly
Traveling is the dream, isn’t it? To see the world for all of its beauty and wonder. That’s something you want to do.
You’ve probably already been to many places. If you’ve experienced different cultures and seen many faces. You love traveling.
But you always find your way back home. You always will.
You can travel as much as you want, but you will always miss home. You need to have that place to go home to. That’s where your heart is.
No matter how long your vacation is, you will always cherish your every moment there. But, eventually, you will miss home. You’ll want to come home.
This is normal for a lot of ambiverts. If you experience this too, you might be an ambivert. You might even feel bad for missing home despite being in paradise with your closest friends, but know this is completely normal for you as an ambivert.
10. You love to socialize but you also value your alone time
Finally, you can socialize like a champion. You can be the life of the party and everybody in the room can enjoy your company there. Interacting with different people at parties is easy and fun for you. You can have fun with your number of friends and you can make a lot of new friends too.
When you get introduced to other people, you’re comfortable. You even get excited sometimes. Getting to know someone else, knowing their stories, and eventually being friends with them is something you want.
After the party, you go home smiling, feeling satisfied with your awesome night.
On some days, you get asked out but you decline because there’s this awesome movie you really want to watch or you just bought a new book you want to read. You enjoy these moments too. You cherish them. Your alone time is something you acknowledge and you know that it’s okay to just hang back for a while.
So you stay at home, by yourself, having a blast with whatever it is you’re doing.
That is the most beautiful thing about being an ambivert, and that’s what people mean when they say you have the best of both worlds. You can enjoy both scenarios of being at a crowded party or being alone in your home.
Socialize As An Ambivert
Do you relate to everything you’ve just read here? If so, then you’re an ambivert. If you didn’t know then, you do now.
You might have thought before that you’re an introvert because you don’t always want to go out like other extroverts. Or you might think that you’re just an extrovert because you like making conversation with many people and sometimes when you’re just at home, you prefer to be out.
Now you know that you can be both. You can be an ambivert.
Take advantage of this knowledge. Knowing where you fall on the personality spectrum can help you in terms of socializing. It can help you adjust and act accordingly. Luckily for you, you’re an ambivert. Socializing can be very fun for you if the moment and mood are just right.
If you want to go out there to socialize as an ambivert, you better do it right. Check out the other articles I have on this site and learn how to improve your social skills and how to have better conversations. I also have a whole book where I share with you my best making-friends methods. This will make you improve your social skills even faster so you can get the friends you want sooner!
– Paul Sanders