Daily Times

The word social butterfly is used for people who are extraordinarily social. They can be referred to as cool, outgoing, party-loving individuals who live on the edge and want to experience life to the fullest. At least, that’s what people think of them.

Being social isn’t just cool, it’s a lot more preferable too. To start with, they can mingle with people of all kinds without much effort, even if it’s someone they have just met. They can start a conversation and know how to keep it going, with ease.

Since they have more friends and social networks, they have more options when it comes to going out. They explore more socialising spots and can tell you where to find the perfect steak. They also know what’s going around in town and can keep you posted on their new discoveries. If you’re caught up in something terrible, they know who you can go to fix it.

More importantly, they have a lot of people who like them. They are the ones who take the limelight at any family gathering or social event, because they keep conversations heated and are the perfect entertainers.

One scientific discovery claimed being social makes one live longer. What more can a person ask for? Altogether, being social allows one to have greater perspective in life by meeting people of different kinds. This also makes them confident and happy as an individual, resulting in a longer and healthier life.

It feels glamorous to be everyone’s favourite socialite, but not being social could be more rewarding.

People who prefer the cosiness of their room, with a book in one hand and a cup of coffee in another, over a social gathering are called antisocial or selectively social. They enjoy their own company more than group gatherings. They are comfortable with themselves, enjoy solitude and aren’t dependent on other people for anything, a competitive advantage in today’s world.

Secondly, selectively social people choose people around them wisely. They aren’t influenced by materialistic needs. They won’t laugh at a joke that doesn’t make sense to them. They can get their things done in their own way, and hence have greater sense of satisfaction than someone who’s dependent on others.

So basically, antisocial people are genuine. And we need more like them in a cruel and fake world.

For the sake of being accepted in a certain group, some individuals sacrifice their antisocial selves. They adopt habits that aren’t theirs, which not only destroys them but also their relationships with people in their lives. The antisocials, on the other hand, don’t care if someone doesn’t like them. As long as they like themselves, life’s good.

Selectively social people make the best listeners. They would not only listen but also analyze and give you the advice in a situation. Because they just don’t enjoy gossip, they prefer deep conversations.

Antisocial people are creative. They don’t only see things but also observe them. The value creating over pleasing people. A study led by Harvard, Stanford and University of Chicago revealed that companies run by introvert CEOs outperformed their peers. Publicly traded companies run by extroverts averaged 2 percent lower return on assets. Bill Gates, Warren Buffer and Abraham Lincoln are famous introverts.

Some individuals are born with the traits of both personalities types. Ambiverts are people who have a balance of extrovert and introvert features in their personalities. They can be overly social at one time and antisocial at the other. Hence, they enjoy the benefits of both.

Where social butterflies have amusing lives, and anti-socials have pleasures to pursue, ambiverts choose both.

Be whatever keeps you at peace and brings you the greatest satisfaction, not what people around you want you to be. As Allen Ginsberg said, “Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness.”