We all think we know what an introvert is – someone who’s just shy. Is there more to it than that?It’s a very common misconception that introverts are people who are shy. There certainly are introverts who are shy, but many people who are introverted aren’t shy at all. The difference between extroverts and introverts really has to do with where we get our emotional energy. Extroverts become very energized by being with other people. If they have too much time without social interaction, they feel under-stimulated. Introverts can enjoy the time they spend with people just as much as extroverts do, but they need to recharge their batteries after they’ve been with people. They need time alone to refuel. Social situations, as much as they enjoy them, are depleting.Is it obvious to other people that someone is an introvert or is it something introverts discover for themselves?I think it’s not necessarily obvious to other people. In social situations, many introverts can seem very extroverted. Other people wouldn’t necessarily know the were introverted unless they knew that, after this person has charmed everybody at a party, they have to go home and read a book and not talk to anyone. They can be “on” for a limited amount of time but they can’t be on 24/7.Is daily life uncomfortable for introverts? It depends on what kinds of demands are placed on them, and what kinds of demands they place on themselves. The more they and the people around them recognize their need to manage their tendency to be over-stimulated, the easier it is for them to do it. They might need a quieter office or they might need to take breaks where they can be by themselves. They can manage very well as long as they recognize what they need.Are introverts born that way? Can they change if they want to? There’s a book I highly recommend to my introverted patients, “The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World” by Marti Laney. She describes how introverts and extroverts use different brain pathways to process information and experiences. Extroverts process things much more quickly, and much less deeply. They have an experience and move on and don’t need to process it further. Introverts absorb experiences more slowly, and need time to process them so they don’t feel overwhelmed. The processing isn’t necessarily conscious processing but introverts need time to do it.Do you see clients who are introverts and want to be different?I see many people who are introverts. Interestingly, once they recognize that they’re introverts, they usually don’t feel the need to change. In my experience, people only feel the need to change their basic temperament when they don’t understand that that’s what it is—when they feel that they’re anti-social or that there’s something wrong with them, and don’t know that they’re just wired differently from their extroverted friends.Are there famous introverts or is that an oxymoron? Apparently, there are a lot of them. There are lots of lists online. I have no idea who compiled these lists or how they would know but, apparently, everyone from movie starts like Audrey Hepburn and Johnny Depp to Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Bill Gates and Mahatma Gandhi – in other words, people who are very public people. I think President Obama is probably an introvert. He doesn’t seem to enjoy political glad-handing, and it sounds like he prefers to spend most evenings at home with his family. I think it’s pretty clear his introversion hasn’t hurt him.Are there specific professions where introverts are most successful? I really don’t think so. I think it’s important to remember that introversion and extroversion exist on a continuum. No individual is completely one or the other. So the issue is knowing how to work in your profession in a way that allows your temperament to work for you rather than against you. I think the difficulty comes when people try to override their temperament. If you work in a profession that requires a lot of social interaction, you’re going to need to find ways to recharge. If you don’t give yourself time for that, you’re going to experience dissatisfaction and burnout. But, if you can make your temperament work for you, you can be successful in any profession. And, as authors like Marti Laney have pointed out, introverts often bring unique skills to the table—the ability to process information at a deeper level, for example—that are extremely valuable in almost any work situation.Click to learn more about finding your life path with Jane Rubin, Ph.D.