Silence can sometimes be bliss and at other times the loudest most over-stimulating thing to cope with. Do you like it or loathe it? Does it matter? I recently came across an article that Sophia Dembling referred to called 6 Things Every Extrovert Secretly Has to Deal With. One of the points in particular made me despair slightly:

"You’re expected to keep the conversation going. When there’s a lull in the conversation, do you know who starts it back up again? The extrovert does. However, being the engine and the fuel for social gatherings can be extremely tiring and feel like a lot of work, so sometimes it would be nice for us extroverts to be allowed a break and have other people take over (though, for some of us, not talking can be quite the challenge)."

This is a fascinating insight, and what I imagine to be a great misunderstanding or difference in the way that introverts and extraverts see silence. For me and for many a lull in the conversation is welcome and can even serve as an opportunity to formulate thoughts and potentially speak up.

Music from LAKE, Lucy Ward, and Lowercase Noises.