Most female introverts display some, if not all of the following characteristics: Independence, dislike for small talk, creativity, shyness, loneliness or alienation, a need for peace and quiet, self-reflection, dislike of conflict, prefer writing than asking questions, and tiredness after being around a crowd.
Female introverts will often exhibit similar traits to male introverts.
These aspects of a female introverted personality might be hard to understand if you aren’t an introvert yourself. In this article, we’ll go into detail about these characteristics to help you better relate with female introverts, or discover if you yourself are one!
10 Characteristics of Female Introverts
Below, we have collected 10 characteristics of female introverts, as well as providing a short description of these characteristics and why they make so much sense when combined with the introverted personality.
1. A Fierce, Independent Spirit
Since female introverts often like to spend time on their own, and don’t enjoy partaking in activities that involve large crowds (Cain, 2012), it makes sense that they would also gain a sense of independence.
Learning how to live on their own can make female introverts fiercely independent. This can manifest in a tendency to want to do projects on their own, travel solo, or even start their own businesses without the help of anyone else.
2. Being Uncomfortable With Small Talk
While independent, female introverts can sometimes run into trouble when it comes to filling the empty spaces in conversations with people they aren’t comfortable with.
No one really enjoys small talk, but it can become a huge stressor for introverts of any gender (Cain, 2012).
Female introverts prefer to have deep, intelligent conversations with people they care about, rather than engage in chit chat with new people they’ve just met.
Their dislike of small talk can lead to awkward silences on some occasions, but if you take the time to have a meaningful conversation with a female introvert, you’ll quickly see how sharp and witty they really are.
3. Female Introverts Can Be Quite Creative
Spending time alone doesn’t just make you good at deep conversations; it can also give someone ample opportunities to work on creative passion projects and perfect them.
Female introverts value creativity, and the space to express their own creative ideas (Brown & Sacco, 2017). Oftentimes, these creative projects are the way a female introvert communicates with the world around them.
Creativity can take many forms, and it isn’t uncommon for female introverts to excel in multiple creative ventures.
Painting, drawing, writing, and photography are just a few examples of creative avenues a female introvert might take. When you have so much time to be introspective, it’s much easier to tap into your creativity.
4. Shyness
Being introverted doesn’t always mean being shy as well, but from the outside looking in, introvertedness really does look quite a bit like shyness.
This is why it’s so easy for people to assume a female introvert is being shy, but there really is a difference between the two.
Some female introverts can be bold and brash when they need to be, but prefer a quieter, more personal existence. So while a lot of female introverts will be classified as shy at first glance, there are some exceptions to the rule.
5. Feeling Like an Outsider
Even if a female introvert isn’t shy, they can still feel disconnected from the world around them.
Introverts as a whole just aren’t like the rest of the general population, and this separateness makes it easy for any introvert to feel both different, and at times, very lonely.
This loneliness is why female introverts are so attached to and loyal to people they care about, especially romantic partners.
6. Craving Peace and Quiet to Think
Being an introvert means that it’s hard to even think if a space is too crowded or too loud. Female introverts need peace and quiet to think.
This desire for peace and quiet is why female introverts seek out secluded places like reading nooks in libraries and little-known hiking trails where they can be alone to ponder their thoughts.
Compare this to extraverts, who will often want to collaborate and work in teams to get things done.
7. Being Self-Reflective
Once someone spends enough time on their own, it’s much easier to see themselves clearly. Female introverts are alone a lot of the time, usually by choice, and this makes them very self-reflective.
Being able to look inward and analyze themselves is a particularly strong trait of a lot of female introverts (Mall-Amiri & Nakhaie, 2013).
This characteristic makes it easier to make meaningful changes to themselves and their actions, but it can sometimes leave female introverts feeling down about their perceived flaws.
See More: 30 Methods of Self-Reflection
8. Avoiding Conflict
No one truly enjoys conflict, but it can be almost debilitating for female introverts. Female introverts will often go to great lengths to avoid any type of conflict, be it problems at work, with friends, or with romantic partners.
This characteristic even affects things like answering text messages or emails that might have a bit of a conflicted tone. Because of this, it’s good for female introverts to receive a lot of reassurance from the people around them.
9. Feeling Tired After Being Around Many People
You may hear a female introvert mention needing to recharge their social battery after a night out or an extended period of time around a lot of people.
This is because being around a great number of other individuals actually makes female introverts tired! (Mall-Amiri & Nakhaie, 2013).
Many female introverts enjoy the occasional crowded event, but once it’s over, they need some time in a familiar place, like their home, to rest and relax.
10. A Preference for Writing over Talking
These days, text messages are one of the main forms of communication. This is great for female introverts, who often prefer writing or typing to talking out loud.
In the heat of the moment, it can be hard for introverts to properly say what they’re trying to convey, and the slower, more reflective nature of writing can make a female introvert much clearer when expressing themselves.
The same goes for emails: as an introvert, you might prefer to send emails rather than having a face-to-face conversation. With email, you have time to craft a message you’re comfortable with before pressing send.
Conclusion
Being an introvert has culturally been thought to be a bad thing for a long time, but we are now discovering that introverts are some of the most caring, nuanced people around. Being shy, lonely, or even afraid of conflict might make someone an introvert, but they are so much more than just those aspects of their personality. In fact, introverts are some of the best businesspeople and creatives in the world.
References
Brown, M., & Sacco, D. F. (2017). Greater need to belong predicts a stronger preference for extraverted faces. Personality and Individual Differences, 104, 220-223. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2016.08.012
Cain, S. (2012). Quiet: The Power of Introvert in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. New York: Crown.
Mall-Amiri, B., & Nakhaie, N. (2013). Comparing the performance of extrovert and introvert intermediate female EFL learners on listening and reading tasks. International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics World, 3(3), 1
Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]
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