Introverts are those people who mostly prefer to live in solitude and regain their drained energy from their alone time. These people have some acquaintances and an extremely small social circle.
Introverts often struggle to make new friends and feel awkward among enormous crowds. They face social anxiety and are quiet, reserved, and shy. They will talk when others converse with them and never start a conversation on their own.
Most people find the behavior of introverts absurd and try to convince them to become more social or outgoing. The reality is that introversion is not a disorder or a problem but the nature of a personality type.
Is it normal to have no friends as an introvert? Yes, it is perfectly normal to have few or no friends at all. It’s the nature of introverts to want more privacy than extroverts, and there is nothing wrong with that behavior.
What is friendship for introverts?
Introverts mostly don’t have a huge social circle because they have a much narrow definition of a “genuine friend.” Their high standards of what should a friend be like end them with having only one or two or no friends at all.
For these individuals, due to having introverted thinking, a true friend is the one with whom they can open the door of their innermost thoughts or feelings. Although introverts look dull or calm from the outside inwardly, they have an enormous sea full of ideas, thoughts, and opinions.
A staunch friend is someone who forms such a deep or close bond with introverts that they can share their feelings with him.
Differences between the friendship of introverts & extroverts
Extroverts are those people who thrive in social settings and are always up to meet or make new friends. These individuals have many friends, are proficient in small talk, and never fall short of topics.
They can impress others in their first meeting with their amiable personalities. Although they are not great listeners but are always ready to support and stand by their friends in difficult situations.
Introverts believe in having few friends with natural and meaningful bonds. Sometimes, they become extreme introverts and prefer to spend most of their time in solitude. These people struggle to make friends as introverts, suck at small talk, and are more comfortable in deep conversations with their close friends.
These people are superb listeners and always present to give their time when others need them. Introverts, with their thinking and analyzing abilities, give valid suggestions to their friends.
Why do introverts suffer due to having no friends?
Nowadays, the world all is about socializing, networking, and making new connections. In this scenario, introverts suffer a lot as compared to extroverts. Their quiet or selectively social nature sometimes never goes in their favor.
People also declare introverts abnormal or weird people because they prefer to enjoy their own company with very little social life. Sometimes all these things or behaviors make introverts question their personalities.
They start doubting themselves and forcefully try to become more social but fail instantly. Introverts struggle with depression or anxiety by considering their behavior abnormal. These individuals torture themselves by asking why am I being like this. Do there exist other people in the world like me?? Why am I not like others who enjoy being around people?
It is okay for introverts to have few or no friends
Yes, it is absolutely okay for introverts to not have many friends in their social circle. There is nothing wrong or abnormal in pursuing this particular behavior, as it’s their nature that they have little space in their mind or heart for friendship.
Introverts can’t become “social butterflies” like extroverts (even if they try). It’s simply not their nature to hop from one friend to another or to gossip with everyone because they become drained among large crowds. They prefer little meaningful friendships over many ephemeral or peripheral friendships.
If an introvert likes to have no friends, it is perfectly normal because extreme introverts can’t feel comfortable with friends and prefer to be with their pet animals or family members.
So, what should introverts do?
People around introverts force them to realize that they are awkward and should adopt the social norms to behave normally in society. It leads introverts to mental issues and they start to question their personalities.
Things that introverts should keep in mind to avoid any kind of psychological distress are the following:
● Accept yourself
The main thing introverts need to know in any situation is that they are just like other people. It is their nature or inner instinct that they feel energized by living alone rather than spending time with a lot of people.
If they have one or two friends and are fully satisfied with their bonding with them, then it is perfectly okay to have a lot of friends without any emotional attachment or satisfaction.
And if they prefer to live alone, without any friends, then that’s also a normal thing, as it’s their life and they own their life choices.
● Don’t force yourself to become social under society’s pressure
Introverts often struggle due to their quiet nature, as people call them, weird, boring, and snobbish. Society forces them to become more outgoing or friendly by making them realize that without making connections or friends in their professional lives, they can’t become successful.
But, it’s not possible to change the nature or instinctive infrastructure of someone. That’s why introverts shouldn’t forcefully look around or beg others to become their friends.
People will come to them naturally, give them space, and make connections authentically. Introverts shouldn’t stress out in the search for friends under the pressure of others.
● Never make your actions fake
Under people’s pressure, introverts should never try to become exuberant or fake, only to get social approval. They should know that it is not their cup of tea to follow others, especially extroverts.
If you, as an introvert, don’t want to go to a party, skip it. If you don’t like to connect or meet with new people, then don’t do it. Never allow the outer pressure to interfere with or disturb your inner world.
● Value your present relationships
Although introverts have few or no friends, they should value or invest in their current relationships to make them long-lasting. They should come out of their shells for their close friends or family members and become more verbal in dealing with them.
Introverts often think their close ones can read their minds, which is never true in many cases. They should appreciate their friend or express their emotions that how much they care for them. It is the only way to sustain the little social circle they have. Introverts can also follow our guide on how to improve their relationships based on their MBTI.
When does the condition get worse for introverts?
Having few or no friends or not being extra social are common things for introverts. And most psychologists declare it a normal condition. But, the condition becomes worse when other than friends, introverts become anti-social for everyone, including their family members.
They barely go outside of the house and are engrossed in their thoughts, possessions, or hobbies. In that kind of situation, their productivity drops, and they are also stuck in their negative feelings.
This particular behavior leads them to be susceptible to many mental issues, like overthinking, anxiety, insomnia, lethargy, depression, etc.
How to create a balance between introversion and social life?
Life without any kind of physical or online social life never comes under the category of normal. To be able to face the outer world confidently is also necessary. Therefore, extreme introverts should consider these things to come out of their unhealthy behavior:
● Spend time with your family members
To become normal people, introverts should step out of their comfort zone and spend time with their family members. Even if they don’t have friends at all, they should socialize themselves by interacting with their siblings, cousins, and parents. They should talk with them about the topics in which they have an interest.
● Join a club or try to be active online
To become socialize according to their temperament, it is the best advice for introverts with no friends to join a club like a reading club. Join online forums on the topics which excite you or provoke you to talk.
In these kinds of clubs or online forums, they will get a chance to meet with other introverts, which in turn helps them to make meaningful connections.
● Get a Pet
Many introverts around the world don’t go well with people, but they love pets like dogs, cats, birds, etc. For these people, their pets are their best friends. Becoming a friend with a pet also helps in socializing.
People get a chance to meet with owners of other pets when they visit their vet or go on a walk. They talk about their pets and tell others about the funny things their pets do. Therefore, having an animal as a pet also assists in becoming social.
Final thoughts
Being an introvert, having few or no friends is completely okay. There is nothing wrong with people who prefer to spend their time alone instead of going to a party.
This condition can even become worse when introverts go toward unhealthy behavior and are completely cut down from their society. But introverts deserve equal respect for their specific characteristics, like all other personality types.
Mariam is a freelance writer, has an educational background in English literature. She loves to read books about complexities of human relationships. She’s passionate about sharing knowledge related to psychology and self-improvement with others.
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