The Dichotomy of ambiverts: How to balance opposing emotions
In a world dominated by the stark dichotomy of extroversion and introversion, there is a group of people that often goes underlooked: ambiverts. They are the people who fall somewhere in the middle of the continuum from quite introverted to the more extroverted. They appear to be both introverts and extroverts at different points in time. They are people who are energized both by quiet respite as well as a large social gathering. Navigating the world as an ambivert may appear to be extremely advantageous since who wouldn’t want to be comfortable in both solitude and company? Ambiverts have a clear advantage over true introverts and extroverts. Because their personality doesn’t lean too strongly in either direction, they have a much easier time adjusting their approach to people based on the situation, context as well as environment. This quality largely enables them to connect to a wider variety of people with more ease and comfort.
How Ambiversion Works In The Brain
Dopamine, the brain’s feel-good, and pleasure hormone, plays a significant role in determining how social one person is. Human beings have different levels of dopamine-fueled stimulation in the neocortex of the brain. The neocortex is that area of the human brain which is responsible for higher mental functions like language acquisition and critical thinking. Many studies have stated that people who naturally have high levels of stimulation tend to be introverts in nature. They try and avoid any extra social stimulation that might make them feel anxious, worried, restless, or uneasy. People with low levels of stimulation tend to be extroverts in nature. Extroverts who are understimulated become bored, therefore they seek social stimulation to increase their happiness. Natural stimulation levels in many people do not reach extremes. Sometimes they may feel the need to seek out stimulation, while other times, they may prefer to avoid it. People with these traits are called ambiverts, outgoing introverts, or antisocial extroverts.
The ‘ambivert advantage’
The term ambivert advantage was coined in 2013 by Adam Grant, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. After carrying out a series of researches in the sales environment, he stated that employees who made the most sales revenue were those who fell in the middle of the extroversion scale. He stated that Because ambiverts naturally engage in a flexible pattern of talking and listening, ambiverts are likely to express sufficient assertiveness and enthusiasm to persuade and close a sale,”. They are more inclined towards customer’s interests and less vulnerable to be appearing over smart or overexcited since they do not exhibit any extreme aspect of their personality.
Common challenges that every ambivert has to face
An ambivert is an individual who exhibits qualities of both introvert and extrovert. It all depends on the mood, context, situation, goal and, people around them, for an ambivert to switch from extroversion to introversion and vice versa. However, being placed in the middle of an established continuum has its own drawbacks. An ambivert’s level of outgoingness varies from one day to another. So one really doesn’t know what to expect from himself around plans, the next day. Another commonly faced issue is forced socializing. The inability to say no to a plan initiated by their huge group of friends can be really draining, especially when one’s not in an outgoing mood. And when an ambivert takes a moment to bounce back into the social mood, people around them begin to wonder if something has gone wrong with them. There is a constant love-hate relationship with group chats since sometimes it can be fun and sometimes very annoying. The constant contemplation for staying in or going out, wanting to know new people but getting restricted by social anxiety can make it very difficult for an ambivert to lead a life without hassle and stress.
How to balance opposing emotions?
Emotional stability is an extremely important skill is today’s time. There should always be a balance between the heart and the head since it enables an individual to withstand the challenges, life throws our way. Balancing emotions gives us greater ability to focus, makes us confident, decisive and rational. Ambiverts, who often face difficulty in balancing opposing emotions can keep the following in mind while in distress:
1) Think of the outcome: while one is in a dilemma and is going through a tornado of emotions unrelated to one another, thinking of the outcome may be of great help to bring a perspective if the current feelings are in alignment with the final result or not.
2) Take a look at the impact of your emotions. Many a times feeling a certain way leaves us extremely exhausted mentally and psychologically by the end of the day. Being aware of the impact of the emotions can help save tons of mental exhaustion and draining and replace it with rationality.
3) Identify the exact feelings and the root cause behind it. Ask questions like what am I feeling right now? What happened that I am feeling this way? Is there a better way of coping with them?
4) Take a deep breath and speak to somebody who emotionally soothes you when you are in distress. Venting out helps!
Its very important in life to have a control over our emotions before our emotions begin to control us. No matter in which place we are in the continuum of personality dimension, one should always strive for balance.
