Introverts. Commonly described as “shy” or “quiet,” and likely to answer “would rather stay home and read a book than go out” on an online Myers-Briggs Type Indicator quiz (a personality test used by many businesses and organizations in order to get a better feel for their members’ personalities, including by Edina High School counselors). But when did “introverted” become a synonym for “homebody”? On Psychology Today’s “Basics” page about extroversion, it said that “the only people bothered by extroverts’ volubility and drive are the introverted members of their circle!” But I think that something that should bother everyone is how misunderstood the whole system really is.

Introverts are commonly portrayed as being loners or anti-social, but that’s really not the case. It’s more about where you draw your energy from. Introverts are more drained by social activities, while extroverts feel recharged after spending time with a lot of other people. Both can enjoy being social, contrary to popular belief. Introverts can also be outgoing. It may be easier for an extrovert to be outgoing because it doesn’t take as much energy for them to do so, but it’s still possible for an introvert to be outgoing. Shyness is also a trait separate from introversion or extroversion. There is such a thing as a shy extrovert and an introvert that loves getting out there and being the center of attention.

Extroverts are portrayed as being more outgoing and adventurous. This seems like a bit of a jump, especially considering that the deciding questions on the classification quizzes generally are about parties or if you would rather travel somewhere alone or with a group. A multitude of other factors can go into those decisions, and the quizzes are far from perfect. The quiz’s methods of classifying someone as an extrovert really don’t have much to do with where you draw your energy from or what extroversion really is, and the online quizzes can’t accurately predict how outgoing or adventurous someone is based on a few questions.

Ambiversion also deserves attention. They’re somewhere in between introverts and extroverts, and seem to be the MBTI way of dealing with shades of gray in their black-and-white test. Most people probably fall somewhere in this category, showing traits of both extroversion and introversion.

The MBTI test was made as a way to fit people into categories, reducing all of someone’s personality traits down to a four-letter abbreviation. But people aren’t just two-dimensional, four-letter beings. We’re more rich and deep than any test could determine, and it doesn’t work to try and fit us into little boxes like that. The tests are also only as honest and accurate as the people taking them, and people will always answer with what they see themselves as or what they wish to be rather than what they actually are.

At the end of the day, whether you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert, it doesn’t really matter that much. One score on an MBTI quiz you found on the internet won’t determine very much in the grand scheme of things. No matter if you’re shy or outgoing, or get your energy from isolation or parties, it’s just one more subclassification dividing us. The labels of introversion, extroversion, and ambiversion are all rather arbitrary, but respecting others and their preferences is an ideal we can all strive for.