But when you feel like leaving your safe little cave, own it. "Particularly when you are already going to be socializing, act the part of an extrovert," Carpenter suggested.
"This doesn't mean you should be inauthentic. Just bring more of your real self. Be an extroverted introvert. Harness that rich inner world of yours and jump into the conversation more, share your opinion, crack a joke, and take the spotlight every once in a while."
In fact, studies, where introverts were instructed to act like extroverts in a group of people, showed they ended up experiencing greater positive emotion than introverts acting normally (in fact, they rated their positive emotion higher than the naturally extroverted people, too) and reported feeling more authentic at the moment.
There are plenty of ways to go about it. "If you're not socializing much, encourage yourself to connect with others in the ways that work well for you," the psychology coach said.
"Join a group to take part in an activity you already love, like a choir, book club, or fitness class. Even though initiating these decisions may feel like an extra effort, the payoff should be noticeable. When you realize you acted more extroverted in a way that felt good, keep it up."
Whatever happens in these settings, you will always be able to retreat and find memes to scroll through instead!
