Because of this, introverts often tweak their behaviours to advance their projects and success in different contexts, says Balsari-Palsule. She was surprised to find in her research that many introverts didn’t report feeling the negative effects of acting out of character at work because they reaped the benefits of doing it. And, in many cases, they even reported “thriving on the sense of challenge that comes with acting out of character.”

Not everyone feels work is where they need to step away from their true self. For Emily Newman, a gourmet food store she owned in Seattle, in the US state of Washington, was where she could be a “very confident, extroverted version” of herself. “I miss the person that I was because I was so engaged all the time with everyone,” she says. “I was willing to engage and lean in and kind of dig in, and that was who I was authentically at work.” At home, she says, she is a quieter, more cautious and introverted version of herself.