OK, so I am an introvert. I relax by being alone and can happily spend weeks without seeing anyone. I can have one-on-one conversations, but feel very uncomfortable in groups and crowds, especially when there are people I don't know. A typical shut-in bookworm who might skip 1-2 meals if there are strangers in the kitchen. So far, everything is mostly by the book. But I also am a person who can write to a former course-mate that I haven't talked to for half a year and just casually say: "Hey, do you still remember that lecture about (insert some obscure lecture theme) that we had, like, almost a year ago? Well, I was thinking about it and I want to discuss it with someone, do you have time?" And then occupy that person's time for about 1.5 hours. From around 22:30 till midnight. Edit: In my normal state, I wouldn't do that even if my life depended on it. Is that normal to have such big gap in personality? Edit 2: It really feels like my personality switches. It's not really about the fact that I chat for 1.5 despite being an introvert, it's the fact that during this time my fears, priorities, choices, preferences and even choice of words changes. Both feel like me when I'm experiencing it, but when I'm in one state, I completely don't identify with the other.
Yes. We like to think of introvertism and extrovertism as being a binary choice, but it really isn’t. Everyone has a little bit of both, and where your personality fits is more on a sliding scale that has the possibility of changing depending on your mood or how you change over time.
Did I write the original post? What you described in typical of introverts. We don't mind socializing as long as it is when, where and how we choose.
What worries me is that there seem to be a state that is nowhere near my normal range. It's like a switch that almost changes my personality.
Introversion is normal for introverts. About 100 years ago, some twit made people think it was unhealthy. https://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Power-Introverts-World-Talking/dp/0307352153 Separate from that, make sure you're doing all the self-care stuff.
You don't seem particularly weird, you just seem like someone that has a hard time talking when you aren't interested and/or comfortable with the topic/situation. That doesn't mean you can't talk a lot when you're comfortable and talking about a topic you genuinely care about. That's pretty normal in my books.
I myself act fairly similarly. I’ve practically been a hikikomori for the past year+. But I can still bust out conversational skills when I need them, and talk for hours and hours. This is normal. If you’re really, really concerned, though, I’d suggest talking to a counselor or a therapist. But I’m pretty sure they’ll tell you that it’s normal.
Buy myself a piece of cake because I'm a special snowflake? I don't want to do anything about it, it's just that this question has been bothering me for a while and I thought that seeing what other people have to say about it might calm me down.
not a personality switches. you just got into the flow. a focused state where both concious and subconcious worked in sync at the same time. maybe you think that talking with him has some importance to you that you unknowingly enter that state.
I think you're quite normal! Many introverts are like this, even if there is a switch! There are even introverts who can act "hyper" and "outgoing" in online settings like Novel Updates Forum, but in reality they're super quiet and shy away from people in real life.