Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page, Barack Obama, Emma Watson, Christina Aguilera, and J.K Rowling. What do these people have in common? Besides from being world-renowned and successful? They are all self-proclaimed introverts.

Introversion is a termed popularized by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist who formulated the theory of temperament. It lies on the opposite side of extroversion in the personality continuum scale. Wherein, ambiversion is in the middle. Introverted person tends to be called as a shy, reticent person which is far from the truth. That is why they are easily misunderstood in our extraverted world.

The difference between two extreme temperaments relies on how their brains work. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is responsible for the control of your pleasure and reward centers. In a MRI scan, you can see that the response of dopamine to stimuli is long and complicated in an introvert brain. While in extroverts, the pathway is shorter. Flooding of dopamine through overstimulation makes an introvert exhausted during social gathering making them look like they are not a people person. Here are some of the common myths about introverts that we need to know and understand.

1. They are shy.

Being shy is different from being an introvert. Shy people avoid social interaction due to fear of social judgment. Introverts are not afraid being social. It is just too much for them. They need to have a reason to interact.

2. They do not like people or talking to them.

They do not want a lot of small talks from many people. Chattiness is full-force when they are interested on the topic. They also value true and long-lasting friendship even if they only have a few.

3. They always want to be alone.

Introverts loves daydreaming and thinking things through. They are very dependent. They do not like sharing their thoughts to everyone but only to the ones close to them.

4. They are weird.

Unlike extroverts, they do not conform to the bandwagon. They do not follow the fashion trends because of their great sense of individuality.

5. They do not know how to relax and have fun.

Reading and staying at home are fun for them. And parties! But not as long as extroverts would stand. They do not seek high stimulating situation because it is important for them to recharge and reenergize to process everything in.

Introverts are not difficult to be with. Knowing the facts about introverts will be easy for many of us to take care of them. Here are some tips straight from introverts themselves on how to deal with them.

1. Respect their need for privacy.

2. Never embarrass them in public.

3. Let them observe first in new situations.

4. Give them time to think. Do not demand right away for answers.

5. Don’t interrupt them.

6. Give them advance notice of expected changes in our lives.

7. Give them 15-minute warnings to finish whatever they are doing.

8. Reprimand them privately.

9. Teach them new skills privately.

10. Enable them to find one best friend who has similar interests and abilities.

11. Don’t push and to make lots of friends.

12. Respect their introversion. They cannot be fix to be extroverts.

If many people are aware how most introverts make smarter decisions and better leaders, those myths will be gone for good. The world will know how to treat them well without discrimination, with due respect and a lot time for them just to be themselves same goes with the extroverts and ambiverts.