As an introvert living in an extroverted world, finding an ideal living situation that caters to their need for peace and alone time can prove to be a real challenge. With daily social expectations at work and in their personal lives, introverts can often end their days feeling completely drained. It’s no surprise that the country you choose to live in and your choice of work can make immeasurable differences in your mental health and overall happiness. Luckily, introverted Canadians are in the right place — according to new research from Merchant Machine, Canada ranks as the best country for introverts to live in 2021.
Canada and other best places for introverts to live
The study looks at desirable factors for introverts when they’re looking to relocate countries including small population size, wifi speed, cost of rent and average annual salary. For introverts, home is a sanctuary — a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of regular life and completely ‘plug out.’ Finding a liveable country where they could potentially work remotely and avoid crowds is like finding an oasis.
Canada tops out the list with 4 people per square meter, an average annual salary of $29,586 and average one-bedroom rent of $1 027. But if you’re a Canadian introvert seeking a new home, Australia, Iceland, Russia and Finland round out the top five list and might be worth looking into.
You may also like: Top 20 cheapest cities to live in Canada.
The best places for introverts to work
The study also looked at industries and jobs where introverts thrive, considering average salary, remote working capability and social score — a measurement that quantifies the level of contact with others, teamworking, contact with external customers, face-to-face conversations, and the need to establish interpersonal relationships with co-workers. The higher the social score, the less need for social interaction in that particular job.
Related: 10 tips for introverts to thrive in the workplace.
What ranked highest on the best jobs for introverts list? Physicists and astronomers — but if you don’t see yourself pivoting into the world of astronomy, machine operatives, marketing professionals, web developers and IT data analysts also ranked favourably on the list.
Workplaces often reward extroverted behaviour, leaving introverts to sometimes feel overlooked despite their invaluable and unique skill sets. Dennis Relojo-Howell, founder of psychology website Psychreg, explains this further. “With introverts’ innate ability to focus, they can be a particular asset to the company. They can be well attuned to capturing why your clients really need and they can propose unique solutions to improve your company’s performance,” he says.
Related: The best careers for introverts in 2021.
An introvert’s dream job
While most workplaces are slow to realize this, introverts are busy dreaming of what their ideal job would look like. According to the research, the dream job for an introvert would involve analytical skills and the freedom to work alone, quietly, and to dream big. Writer topped the dream job list while, music composer, artist, jeweller and computer architect followed closely behind.
If you’re an introvert, the pandemic may be offering a nice escape, but these may be some things to consider if you want to design a quieter life for yourself as life returns to normal.
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