Today, we’re all about giving the extroverted friends in our lives some appreciation!
Because while there may be a portion of this blog dedicated to managing extroverts and their expectations, it’s also important to talk about all the advantages of befriending extroverts!
Extrovert/introvert friendships can certainly have their pitfalls, but they can also be awesome if you find yourself with a good extroverted friend.
Here are four advantages of extroverted friends and four signs of a good one!
Advantages of extroverted friends
They’ll encourage outings
Introverts are often more prone to staying in. And while an elevated amount of solitude is necessary and healthy for introverts, too much solitude can actually be bad for us.
It’s good to get out and interact with the world. It’s good for us to use our energy on the people and places we love.
Extroverted friends are typically pretty great at calling us up and getting us out. They give us to the push to get out in the world that our introverted friends, or even ourselves, are less inclined to give.
They’ll take you to fun new places
Because extroverts actually like to go out, they often know when someplace fun and new pops up.
This ensures that your outings are never boring, and you may even find your new favorite restaurant.
Not only that, if your extrovert friend suggests going someplace you know you, as in introvert, will hate, you should be okay to say so.
After all, if your extroverted friend is more in touch with the local social scene, they’re more likely to be able to have a few alternative suggestions.
Good social anchors
Extroverted friends can be the best people to go to a party with–especially if it’s a party where they know more people than you do.
Because extroverts tend to enjoy people, they’re also often pretty good at making introductions and starting conversations.
If you’re with them, this can result in your extrovert steering you towards people they think you’ll get along with.
Alternatively, they can also be pretty great at steering a conversation with someone you don’t know. This allows you the opportunity to participate without suffering through the small talk.
They’ll often carry the conversation with strangers
I don’t know about you guys, but as an introvert, I typically hate it when someone next to me in line just starts a conversation with me.
I’m also not a big fan of extra conversation at a restaurant with the wait staff or employees who really want to help me shop.
But I’ve often found that when I’m out with my extroverted friends, they naturally field these conversations so us introvert don’t have to!
If you ask me, this is a pretty serious win!
Signs of a good extroverted friend
While there are advantages to being friends with extroverts, not all extroverts are great friends to their introverts.
With that in mind, here are four things you should look for and expect in a good extroverted friend.
They don’t force you out or guilt you for staying in
As much as your extroverted friend may encourage you to go out, they don’t force you. They accept when you really don’t have the energy.
And while they may be disappointed, they never make you feel bad for staying in.
One of my best friends is an extrovert and the reason why she’s one of my best friends is because she has always been so respectful of when I wasn’t up for socializing.
It’s why we’re still friends to this day.
They keep your interests in mind when making plans
Like we mentioned, extroverted friends are great at finding new and fun places to go. But a good extraverted friend will also keep your interests in mind when making plans and suggestions.
A good extroverted friend won’t suggest that you go to the new club if you hate the club scene. They’ll save that for their friends that who are into that kind of thing and suggest the new restaurant if that’s more your speed.
Alternately, if they’re going out with a group to a place they know you won’t like, they may invite you so you’re included. But they also give you an out, and they don’t make you feel bad for taking it.
They don’t invite themselves over or just show up at your house
A good extroverted friend will also respect your boundaries and recharge time.
They won’t invite themselves over, and they won’t just show up at your door completely unexpectedly.
They understand and accept that you aren’t always in the mood to socialize and that you need time to prepare yourself for it.
At you will, at minimum, get a text that they’re in the area and want to drop by. But even then, you have the chance to say it’s not a good time.
They help when you’re oversocialized
When your extroverted friends realize or are made aware that you’re oversocialized and approaching the beginnings of an Introvert Hangover, a good friend will step in and help.
This may mean finding you a quiet place when you’re too fried to find one for yourself, helping to get people out of your house, or helping you come up with an exit strategy from a party.
When you’re an introvert, it might be harder to think clearly when you’re fried. Luckily your extroverted friends, who should be thriving and energetic after some extended socializing, will likely be in a good position to help.
This also happens to be another area where my extroverted BFF shines.
The difference between a bad extroverted friend and one who doesn’t know better
If you’ve got an extroverted friend who’s been less-then great, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a bad extroverted friend.
It’s possible and likely they just don’t know enough about what it means to be an introvert. Like we touched on in the post on how to manage extroverts, most extroverts gain energy doing all the things that suck an introvert dry.
Your extrovert friend may not realize they’re being a bad friend. In fact, they may think they’re trying to help you.
So, if you’ve never had a conversation with them about what you need and why, now might be the time to do that. If you need some tips, check on this post on how to explain introversion to others.
If, after this conversation, they still proceed to show up at your house unannounced, guilt you for staying in, or drag you to places you don’t want to go, you might want to consider how much you really want them as a friend.
Because anyone who would disregard what you want and need isn’t just a bad extroverted friend, they’re just a straight-up bad friend, and you’ll probably be happier without them.
Looking for more in-depth tips on what to expect in a good extroverted friend?
If you want to dig a little deeper into this topic, check out the Introvert Life Guide!
This guide was designed to help you build the introvert life of your dreams. And it’s full of plenty of tips and tricks to help you pick friends–extroverts and otherwise–that respect and support your introverted needs.
It will also help you embrace your introverted nature and build a life to help you thrive!
For more introvert life tips, check out the other introvert posts!
Sound off: What’s your favorite thing about your extroverted friends? Tell us about it in the comments!