Quarantine has impacted many students and staff–and one of the biggest changes has been seen in the shift in personalities. While some became more introverted over time, others became more extroverted. This is largely due to the different experiences everyone had during the pandemic, which will continue to stand as a time no one will ever forget. 

More Introverted people enjoy spending time alone and usually are more quiet and reserved, they are said to look at the world through an internal perspective rather than an external perspective. Being introverted and extroverted is somewhat based on how you recharge your social battery. In this case, introverted people recharge through alone time or by time spent at home. Most introverts may find social interaction draining, but this doesn’t mean that introverted people don’t like social interaction–they usually just prefer spending time with a smaller group of people. 

Extroverted people have a bigger desire to have social interaction. Unlike introverted people, extroverts like spending time with others and find talking to people easier. Being social is how extroverts recharge, they feel energized around other people. Extroverted people are known to be more outgoing and expressive; they see the world through an external perspective. Extroverts may also prefer working in a group rather than alone when it comes to things like school work, they like hanging out with bigger groups as well.

Extroversion and Introversion is a spectrum, it doesn’t always have to be either one or the other. Some people are introverted extroverts and others are extroverted introverts. A lot of people may find that they have traits of both sides. There is a range of personalities when it comes to being introverted and extroverted. 

“We are like diamonds, at different angles, different situations and at different light, we’re all a little bit different,” said Mrs. ViksneHill, a science teacher at Marshfield High School. “We’re different colors, and we reflect that light differently, depending on the situations that were around”. 

 We are all so different so it can be hard to define someone as introverted or extroverted. Some people are even classified as ambiverts and omniverts. Ambiverted people are those who share the behavior of both introverts and extroverts, which can make them more adaptable to different social situations. They also can be good at talking as well as active listening. Omniverts are people who experience extreme emotions of either side at different times, depending on the situation. They could be really outgoing or want to be alone. It’s not as common for someone to be an omnivert as it is to be an ambivert. 

“I am more introverted now,” said Misty Fuell, a freshman at MHS. 

During the lockdown, over two years most people got used to being inside, not really socializing with anyone but their family. Kids left school for spring break, thinking it would last two weeks–it became a year of online school instead. Adults had to stay home sick from work and quarantine, while others were fired and left jobless. Throughout those struggles, a lot of people changed. 

By the time things got back to normal, people had changed; they no longer knew how to act around other people and be social. These skills needed to be relearned. This made some students  more introverted and without the need to have social interactions as much as they had before. Although quarantine was definitely a reason for why some people became more introverted, it can also come as a part of growing up, and that goes for extroverts as well. 

 There are many tests one can take to figure out your own personality type, such as the Myers-Briggs personality test (also known as MBTI test). It sorts individuals into sixteen personality types and is designed to accurately describe each test-taker. It primarily focuses on introversion/extraversion, sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling, and judging/perceiving.

Alyssa Henry, freshman at MHS, took the test and found that it matched her up with what she had anticipated. The results pointed to the personality type with which she identifies. 

“It matched my personality pretty well,” she said. 

To be identified using a Myers-Briggs personality test, simply search it up on Google. A number of educational and nonprofit organizations allow free usage of their personality evaluation. Be sure to follow instructions carefully, including those in the end to help interpret the results.