Understanding Introverts and Depression: Promoting Self-Acceptance

Introverts are often misunderstood and get a bad reputation for being standoffish, snobby, and disinterested. It's funny how much silence can stand out like a sore thumb and be interpreted, but these interpretations are often just wild theories people concoct to fill the gaps because they're hungry for answers.

Introversion vs. Depression

Let's get one thing straight: depression and introversion are not the same thing. Depression certainly doesn't discriminate based on personality types. A fair share of extroverts and ambiverts of all ages, genders, shapes, sizes, and colors struggle or have struggled with this mood disorder. It doesn't choose just one kind of prey to feed on. As long as we're living and breathing, we are all susceptible to it, whether it's situational or lifelong. Factors such as genetics, trauma, grief, and seasonal changes can make it easier for one to develop depression.

Interestingly enough, although introversion is often mislabeled as depression, some research supports the idea that introverts are more likely to develop depression and anxiety than extroverts. Why is this?

Self-Acceptance and Overthinking

According to research director Robert McPeak, introverts tend to be more self-critical about their performances than extroverts. Jennifer Granneman, founder of the online community "Introvert Dear," also believes that living in a world that overstimulates and demands a lot from introverts to conform to extraversion promotes more negative self-talk. Instead of adding more pressure on introverts, let's try to promote self-acceptance. We can start by understanding them better.

Although introverts may be quiet and prefer solitude, their minds are quite the opposite: loud, sharp, and chaotic. They often have rich inner worlds where they may harbor dark thoughts and conflicting emotions, since they have a habit of working their problems out independently. Overthinking can trigger feelings of low self-esteem and guilt, causing them to isolate themselves further when they believe they don't deserve to be loved. When introverts start disconnecting, it makes it hard to receive positive affirmations from others. Thus, they become more susceptible to depression, while extroverts prefer to seek company when they're troubled.

Happiness and Emotional States

Here's something else to consider: do introverts need to be as happy as extroverts often strive to be? Boston College psychologist Maya Tamir conducted a series of studies proving that introverts would rather maintain a neutral emotional state when presented with tasks such as giving a speech or taking a test that involved rational thinking. Meanwhile, extroverts preferred to be stimulated by happy thoughts to complete the same tasks. This concludes that introverts simply don't need the same kind of entertainment extroverts crave. However, that doesn't mean they don't need social interactions. They just prefer not to go out of their way for small talk and would rather stick around for more depth and meaning.

Conclusion

What do you think? Are you an introvert? Have you struggled with depression? Please share your thoughts with us below. In our description box, we've also included a link to depression hotlines in case anyone needs to talk.