I've never seen such a marked example of the difference between an introvert and an extrovert until last night. And it was my dog that showed me!
I've seen many definitions of introverts and extroverts and, in my experience, have defined the differences as where a person recharges - an introvert recharges their energy levels with some quiet, alone time while and extrovert recharges around other people. This definition for me has helped me to understand the nuances of this characteristic without the binary answers given by a dictionary. I don't think anyone is completely introverted or extroverted and situational behaviour makes this distinctions blurry.
My dog, a three year-old Lhasa Apso, is truly extroverted. I've always known she's a people puppy. She sees people and gets offended if they don't stop to pet her, because, in her mind she is the cutest puppy ever. I may have reinforced this trait, to be fair. Other dogs - not a fan. It's only people she is interested in.
Last night, on our evening walk, we walked past two groups of other people. Coco, our dog, of course wanted to say hi, and as we were outside and social distancing has been relaxed, we let her meet some new people from a safe distance at the other end of her leash. A quick pet was all she wanted and needed.
But the change in her energy level for the rest of the walk was amazingly. She was almost bouncing from the energy she got from the engagement and tummy rubs. This is what I've always thought of extroversion to be - but to see such a profound example of the energy gained from an external interaction was eye-opening.
I tend to the introversion trait where a "Good evening." or "How do you do?" is more than sufficient social interaction for strangers on the street. I certainly have never got that energy from simple interactions. I'm an introvert with an extroverted dog.
Amazing what you can learn when you watch and observe, isn't it?