11 Things All Introverts Should Know

7. Anxious introverts start to feel frazzled when they spend too long hanging out with other people.

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This is the one meaning of introversion that does correlate with shyness, says Cheek. Anxious introverts feel self-conscious around strangers and get nervous in unfamiliar situations. After a while, they’ll need to retreat to the safety of their own company to recharge.

Unlike with social introversion, anxious introverts might still feel anxious when they’re alone. In fact, they’ll tend to ruminate over situations they’ve been in and worry about things that have (or might) go wrong.

But anxious introverts don’t always prefer to be recluses, and anxious introverts who have a high need for social interaction can have a tough time. “Some shy people are fairly high in need for affiliation,” says Cheek, “in fact they’re the people who have the most conflict with shyness.”