Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known by his stage name Jason Alexander, is an American actor, comedian, singer and director.Alexander is best known for his role as George Costanza in the television series Seinfeld (1989–1998), for which he was nominated for seven consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. A good poker face is hardest for Feeling and Turbulent types to achieve. For these personalities, expressing their feelings – verbally or nonverbally – is a natural way of processing them. If this describes you, try not to be hard on yourself. There are worse things than allowing someone to see that you’re upset.
Last week, there was a post online speculating that Lady Gaga was an introvert. You might be thinking, “If Lady Gaga’s an introvert, then I’m the Queen of Sheba.” Here’s what the post’s author had to say,
And we thought that she is an out and out weirdo to adorn those strange head gears! But the poker face singer has revealed that she has a solid reason being her strange wardrobe. You might find it funny but those solid reasons are her superstition and her ‘introvert nature’. You might be thinking how come a woman who gives such rocking stage performances in front of thousands of crazy fans be an introvert!
Well, just have a look at her statement. She said: “The hat is a nice barrier. The bigger the better. For me, it keeps the devil away. I always like when I have a hat big enough to keep people away at pretentious parties. It’s protection.”
Fascinating!
Another interview reveals the shy side of her personality:
“I don’t really meet that many other artists because I’m actually kinda shy. I might not be shy with people that I know but with people that I don’t know I am very shy.
“I generally really keep to myself and I am focused on my music. But when I do meet people that I have lots in common with it goes really well. I always feel shy in the Hollywood scene. I feel a bit like I did in high school, like I don’t really fit in.”
Based on reader comments for these and other articles, people feel very strongly not only about Lady Gaga, but what it means to be introverted or extroverted.
Is it possible for a camera-loving exhibitionist be an introvert? I’m putting my money on YES.
Whether or not you believe Lady Gaga is an introvert, the idea that one can generalize about introverts – that they all tend to be shy, aloof, loners – is hogwash.
Introverts are perfectly capable of “turning it on” as needed. We might even tap into our extroverted side (because it would be the very rare person that is 100% introvert) and feel energized by being the center of attention. More than likely, though, we expend all of our energy OUT when we’re “on stage” and then need to retreat to recharge.
If Lady Gaga wasn’t enough evidence of the ability of introverts to command the spotlight, consider these famous introverts:
Julia Roberts, actress
Meg Ryan, actress
Christina Aguilera, singer
Johnny Carson, tv personality
Barbara Walters, journalist
Clint Eastwood, actor/director
Harrison Ford, actor
Tom Hanks, actor
Sir Alfred Hitchcock, film director
Jack Lemmon, late actor
Bill Macy, actor
Steve Martin, all around talented guy
That’s an impressive list of introverts! Why am I sharing this with you? To remind all of us – introverts and extroverts alike – that we can’t take a test, slap a label on ourselves or others and call it done. There are infinite shades of gray within all of us. As we discover and understand the subtle yet powerful forces that drive us, we are better able to make intentional choices about how we spend our time, who we spend it with and how we take care of ourselves.
And who knows? You might find that wearing big hats and sunglasses is your ticket to being seen while not being seen!
[pullquote]What do you think? How does your extroverted side show up?[/pullquote]
Poker Face Introverts Meme
Photo Credit: Robin Wong, PR Photos