Research-backed Advice in Three Critical Areas for World Introvert Day
With World Introvert Day on Jan. 2, many ask: do lockdowns and remote work favor introverted types? Yes…and no, say experts at The Myers-Briggs Company, who’ve been studying COVID-19’s effects on people’s well-being. The company is exploring the state of Introversion based on several reports and offering advice in three critical areas.
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Online collaboration and ‘shelter-in-place’ offer Introverts benefits and pitfalls
We meet a significant proportion of our interpersonal needs through work. Online collaboration tools help employees mitigate lack of in-person interaction during lockdowns, but different personality types experience these tools differently. Those who prefer Extraversion may see an impromptu video call as energizing and a welcome break, while Introverts might view this as intrusive and draining.
Personality type also influences how ‘shelter-in-place’ affects people. In a recent survey:
- 83 percent of introverted types agreed or strongly agreed with “I enjoy the peace and quiet of working from home.”
- Less than half agreed or strongly agreed with “I miss having people around me” (compared to 80 percent of Extraverts).
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Lockdowns also have downsides for Introverts. The Myers-Briggs Company’s Head of Thought Leadership John Hackston says, “while introverted types generally cope better with solitude, the danger is forgetting to spend time with others, which diminishes resilience to stress.”
“Always On” work culture challenges Introverts
Before the COVID-19 virtual work migration, an ‘Always On” culture study showed a third of respondents unable to switch off mentally and a fifth mentally exhausted. Additional research links work-home overlap to increased stress, decreased performance, and poorer health–impacts keenly felt by Introverts who usually prefer more space between work and home life.