Are Book Worms Introverts?

There are so many myths that surround reading. One of these myths is the “introvert reader” myth which basically assumes that all readers and generally bookworms are introverts.

Well of course you may be wondering if this is a fact or simply a myth like I’ve put it. This post will therefore discuss this to give a glimpse into the personality of the habitual reader…

With that said, Are bookworms introverts?

Not all bookworms are introverts.

There is a common personality misconception that most people hold regarding habitual readers, which concludes that introversion is a characteristic of people who tend to be bookworms. That is not true, Human beings are different. Bookworms being introverts is simply a cliché and misconception.

With that said, What exactly is an introvert?

According to Webmd, An introvert is a person with qualities of a personality type known as introversion, which means that they feel more comfortable focusing on their inner thoughts and ideas, rather than what’s happening externally. They enjoy spending time with just one or two people, rather than large groups or crowds.

Introverts also enjoy spending time alone and are not outgoing people but reserved people that focus almost all their attention inward.

Can Reading change your personality? FIND OUT HERE

Introverts and Books

Most introverts are people that spend a lot of time alone and don’t usually mix with a lot of people.

This is one of the reasons why it’s blatantly assumed by most people, that introverts like to read. Since reading is an “alone activity”. It is easy to assume introversion equals bookworm, but that doesn’t make it necessarily true.

Not every introvert out there is a bookworm, some have other activities which they like to do more than reading. While others may be bookworms that spend most of their times buried in a book.

As matter of fact, it is not unlikely to find introverts that are bookworms. You may wonder why most introverts may enjoy to read.

The simple answer to this is that…

Introverts don’t really mix with a lot of people, they don’t usually speak out expressively and usually don’t spend time around a lot of people. They have a reserved laid back type of personality.

It is for this reason that most introverts may like to read.

Reading offers introverts the opportunity to connect with authors through reading. With the introverted personality being one that would rather be secluded, an activity like reading can be easily perceived as a fun activity. Which it is.

With that said, find out how reading affects OUR relationships with other people HERE.

Are authors introverts?

The question of introversion is one that even stretches out to authors.

Authors are writers and spend most of their time alone in the comfort of their own environment writing and pondering ideas.

It is quite rare to meet an author that doesn’t have a side of introversion to them.

But this doesn’t necessarily mean that all authors are introverts. I’m simply saying most are.

Most writers are usually not extroverted people  because they may have difficulty expressing their ideas verbally.

Most writers find it less difficult and easy to think better while typing which leaves them less verbally expressive. So don’t be surprised if you meet authors that don’t necessarily shower you with an extrovert nature.

Other authors on the other hand are more outgoing and are more extroverted.

Some maybe so spectacularly articulate due to the fact that their writing allows them to know how to hold on to a train of thought and express it well enough for anyone to grasp.

Which brings me to the conclusion of whether authors are all introverts.

The fact is, not all authors introverts and not all authors are extroverts. There’s a balance as with anything. However, most authors are introverts or may be extroverts with introvert side to them and this characteristic is a common one for most people that write.

Are Extroverts good writers?

With things like this Its pretty much a level playing field, introverts and extroverts can both be excellent writers and they could easily be bad writers.

The personalities of authors rarely dictates their skill level in writing.

Some introverts may find it easy and generally comfortable to express themselves well through writing just as extroverts would find it easy to write and express themselves through writing…

People are different and with writing you really can’t rely on the personality of a person as an indication of whether their writing is good or not.

So we can conclude that both introverts and extroverts can be great writers.

Do introverts read more?

Introverts can read just as much as anybody can read but they can hold some advantages over extroverts and I’ll explain some of these below.

Reading can substitute speaking

Introverts can read more than most people because for them, reading can be a substitute for speaking and conversation in general.

So while you may enjoy the occasional time with pals to mingle and chat, an introvert can dedicate that time to reading which would have them read and encounter more material than you.

In such situations, introverts can often times be obsessive readers. For the simple fact that they can easily connect with authors in writing.

Solitude

Another reason why introverts generally read more than extroverts is because reading is a solitude activity.

Meaning it’s an activity that is done well when one is closed off from the world, in a quite room with zero distractions.

For most people being alone in a quiet room would seem like torture due to the fact that extrovert human beings enjoy and prefer to be around company.

On the other hand, an introvert would enjoy being alone in a quiet room being completely absorbed in a book. (IS READING TOO MUCH BAD FOR YOU? FIND OUT NOW!)

Small social circle, more read time

Another reason why it’s much easier for most introverts to read more than the average person is that…. they tend to have a small social circle.

A small circle means having a less active social life. A person with a less active social life has the time to focus on things like reading and other solo activities.

A large social circle usually means being around a lot of people, going to different social gatherings, doing more social activities and so on. People with such lives usually don’t spend a lot of time reading because they are generally too engaged in social activities.

With that said, can reading really help us make friends? LEARN MORE HERE.

Final Thoughts

Ofcourse Not all bookworms are introverts.

People just have the misconception that introverts are bookworms. That is not always true, Human beings are different. Bookworms being introverts is simply a cliché, in real sense its not always the case.

HELPFUL LINKS

Books Rock My World – Are You an Introverted or Extroverted Reader?

Introvert Dear – Why Many Introverts Love Reading

Blissful Bookworms – Why Bookworms Are Mostly Introverts?

Incessant Bookworm – Confession: I am a Book Introvert

Introversion Personality and Students’ Reading Comprehension (DOWNLOAD)

Book riot – Is There A Direct Link Between Reading And Being An Introvert?

16 Personalities – Personality and the Avid Reader