Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! As an extrovert with a bunch of introvert friends, I wondered about how two different types of people would view Valentine’s Day. Extroverts are known to be outgoing and feed off the energy of people. As an extrovert myself, I can say that the more energy there is in the air, the more energized I am. I asked around campus to gather some information about how extroverts view Valentine’s Day.
I interviewed two extroverts: Ethan Beck (a sophomore), and Paris Tharpe (a freshman) here at Regent University. Below is the transcript of our conversation.
Her Campus (HC): Are you in a relationship?
Ethan Beck (EB): Yes.
Paris Tharpe (PT): No, not yet at least.
HC: How do you feel about Valentine’s Day?
EB: Never cared about it before this year. I still can’t say I care about it that much. It’s not a big deal. Now that I’m in a relationship, I care about it a little- if only for my girlfriend.
PT: I personally don’t like Valentine’s Day. I feel that everyday a girl should feel special. I usually just buy myself stuff for Valentine’s Day so I don’t like it that much.
HC: What’s your least favorite part of Valentine’s Day?
EB: People who put it all over the internet. I’m glad you’re enjoying your Valentine’s Day, but I don’t care. At all.
PT: A lot of people- even I feel pressured to make someone feel special. Buying last minute gifts feels less genuine.
HC: What’s your favorite part of Valentine’s Day?
EB: Having an excuse to be clingy.
PT: The chocolate. Mmm…yes. The chocolate. I love chocolate. Chocolate is good.
HC: What do you like to do on Valentine’s Day?
EB: I like to eat pizza and drink coffee and watch movies, hold hands, and cuddle.
PT: Usually I have school on Valentine’s Day, but after that I like to hang out with friends or family. We love each other regardless. If I’m by myself I watch movies in my room and pig out. I make myself feel special.
HC: What would be your ideal Valentine’s Day date?
EB: Whatever my girlfriend wants to do.
PT: I like to be spontaneous. I’m down for anything. I like different, because I’m different.
HC: Compared to other times of the year, does your extroversion affect how you relate with others during this time of the year?
EB: Yes. I’m an extrovert and my girlfriend- being an introvert- only wants to spend short amounts of time with me. I want to spend the entire day with her.
PT: No, I’m just as crazy every day.
HC: Do you have any tips for surviving Valentine’s Day?
EB: Stay off of social media. Don’t post Valentine’s day stuff on social media if you want to keep friendly relations with people.
PT: Do you. Don’t be phased by what people say or what they do. Enjoy yourself. If you don’t like it, treat it like a regular day. If you want to get dressed up, dress up. If you want to stay in your PJs, stay in your PJs. Treat yourself. That’s what I do now, I got tired of people pressuring me to get a boo and couple up.
In this piece, we see the extroverted perspective about Valentine’s Day. In part two, I’ll be investigating the perspective of introverts and drawing some conclusions about similarities and differences between the two, while asking the question: does introversion or extroversion matter at all at the sappiest time of the year?