The difference between introverts and antisocial individuals is that the former are actually interested in connecting with other people and investing in their social life. Introverts want to have relationships, friendships, and good relationships with their colleagues.
On the flip side, antisocial folks prefer to avoid people, overall, and interact with them only when they absolutely have to. They’re rare, compared to introverts.
Most people actually aren’t introverts or extroverts. The majority are ambiverts, who lie in the middle between the two extremes.
According to ‘Scientific American,’ they benefit from a balance between social stimulation and spending time apart from people. Typically, introverts are more easily stressed by other folks, and draw energy from being alone. Broadly speaking, extroverts become energized in the company of others. Ambiverts are a mix of both.
“There is no magic line that clearly separates ambiversion from introversion and extroversion,” explains psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman.
‘Scientific American’ points out that introversion has nothing to do with the fear of social contact, shyness, social anxiety, or a dislike of people.
Furthermore, your personality is fluid, not static. Your inclination toward introversion or extroversion can change over time, even if it does become more consistent as you age.
“If you want to be happy, you should first and foremost accept yourself, as research has shown us,” psychologist Kaufman suggested.
Meanwhile, individuals who are truly antisocial are incredibly rare. The Cleveland Clinic notes that antisocial personality disorder (aka ASPD) affects between 1% to 4% of adults in the United States. People with ASPD:
- Manipulate and deceive people
- Exploit and take advantage of you for their own benefit
- Don’t feel remorse over their behavior
- Ignore the law and people’s rights
- Disrespect others
- Ignore the consequences of their actions
- Refuse to take responsibility
During a previous in-depth interview, Bored Panda learned all about the roots of the ‘Antisocial Memes’ project from the administrators of the page, sisters Maria and Lide.
According to Maria, the Instagram account was the perfect place for her to express her emotions and to connect with other people with similar feelings, opinions, and a matching sense of humor.
“I started the Instagram profile to overcome my social anxiety and shyness. I am an introvert, and I needed this page to help me accept myself through creating and sharing memes related to introversion, social anxiety, and shyness,” Maria, the founder of the account, opened up to Bored Panda earlier.
“Eventually, people started to follow the page, and I realized that I am not alone in this. Actually, many people have the same problems as me. Their support made me feel better, and I hope that we make other people laugh and feel a little better. All this made me not quit, but continue creating and sharing content,” she shared with us.
