Fascinating subject that hits close to home. Most people would not know that I am an extreme introvert. In my late teens when I first started working in the helping professions and I had to talk to people it was very difficult and painful. I can still recall the instance when I first started breaking through the "shell" of my introversion and how difficult it was. Although I knew that it was necessary.

I completed my career and developed a coping of sorts to be open when counseling someone individually or in groups. It was still difficult, but I eventually learned I could get through it and learned to focus that discomfort into being better at my job.

I also had to do public speaking from time to time, and I also was hired from time to time as an expert witness in legal setting. I am not sure I ever got past the anxiety and discomfort, yet I did my job. I have had people over the years tell me how good I was doing presentations in those situations. If it was someone I trusted I could tell them that truly inside I was a wreck.

So I think all in all I learned over many years to focus that nervousness, anxiety, discomfort pain or whatever name one would place on it in striving to do better at my job. So it aided me in that way.

I have yet to get past the issue in social settings and tend to avoid them.

Would I like to be an extrovert? I believe I thought it would be nice when I was younger, but as I continued with my career spanning approximately 50 years I learned to accept who I was and that being an introvert helped me be better at my work. It was also okay to spend time alone so I did not have to deal with it.

I believe introverts are more sensitive to others. Maybe more able to feel empathy toward others.

Thank you for sharing @priyanarc.