Attention Introverts: You Need Community, Too.

Busting myths about introverts’ needs and highlighting their unique community gifts.

Since last October, when I announced my deal to write a book about teaching people how to build community, one of the most common questions I get is, “What about introverts? Is community connection important for them, too?”

The answer is, “Yes, Yes, a thousand times Yes.”

As an avowed extrovert, I’ve done my homework to answer this question thoughtfully and learned a lot about people's misconceptions about introverts. Interestingly, some introverts also have myths about themselves.

Here’s the first myth I want to dispel. Introverts may have more nuances in how they get the most enjoyment out of time with other people, but there’s NOT a question of whether they need it at all. Introversion has nothing to do with whether you generally like people or need human relationships. Everyone needs human relationships.

In her bestselling book Quiet, Susan Cain defines extroversion vs. introversion as a sensitivity to external stimulation, which can be helpful to remember in the context of community participation. For example, introverts might tire quickly in loud rooms, at long events, or in situations where they must remember many people’s names. But this does not mean introverts don’t need community and connection. A 2023 Canadian study looking at subjective happiness and social connection found that strong and varied social relationships were more crucial to introverts’ happiness than extroverts.