How to Rock a Party Like an Extrovert When You’re an Introvert

May 22, 2017

When you’re an introvert, you view life a little differently. Going to a post-work happy hour or even a dinner party at a friend’s house can be the cause of serious dread. You value your alone time and often need to recharge after too many social commitments stack up on your calendar. Sure, you’d rather curl up with your Netflix queue than head to that huge birthday bash for your coworker, but sometimes, you have to socialize. We chatted with author Vanessa Van Edwards, who runs a human behavior lab called The Science of People, about how we can all learn how to better navigate social situations. She calls herself a recovering awkward person and confesses that her first instant message buddy back in the days of AOL was the school nurse. Her book Captivate: The Science of Succeeding With People, delves even deeper into this topic of how to use science to understand human behavior. Van Edwards shares some simple tips for standing out in a crowd (in a good way).

1. Get into the zone. In her book, Van Edwards has an illustration of a typical party setup with drinks, food, and the entrance. She breaks up a room into three zones: the Start Zone, the Social Zone, and the Side Zone. You find the most nervous people in the Start Zone — they’re running late, trying to find people they know, or worrying about first impressions. The Social Zone, where the refreshments are found, is often where people feel the most comfortable after they’ve grabbed an app or a cocktail. “Plant yourself at the end of the food line or near the bar. Once someone has a snack or a drink in hand, they are much more likely to want to strike up a conversation,” says Van Edwards.

2. Don’t fake it. The expression, “Fake it until you make it,” doesn’t hold up in social situations. In the Science of People’s virtual Body Language Quiz, viewers are shown a genuine smile hidden among three fake smiles and 87 percent of quiz-takers picked it out. “If you go to events that make you unhappy, it will be incredibly difficult to increase your memorability,” says Van Edwards. She suggests instead interacting in situations where you don’t have to fake enjoyment.

3. Start a great convo. We’ve all been there. Someone starts a conversation with, “What do you do?” and then responds to your answer with, “That’s nice,” and the exchange is over pretty fast. Instead of diving into regular conversation starters, Van Edwards recommends conversation topics that engage and stimulate in-depth discussions. Questions like, “What was the highlight of your day?” and “What personal passion project are you working on?” are more likely to ignite memorable convos.

4. Act like an Olympic winner. Your body language says a lot about you before you even say a word. Van Edwards talks about how researchers Jessica Tracy and David Matsumoto studied how humans respond to success and failure by looking at how Olympic athletes behave post-event. “The fact that athletes instinctively use the same body language shows us how innately programmed we are to broadcast victory and defeat nonverbally,” says Van Edwards. To display successful body language, start with a firm handshake. Next, take on a winner’s posture. Van Edwards recommends keeping your shoulders down and back, making sure your hands are visible, and aiming your chin, chest, and forehead straight in front of you.

5. Create deeper connections. When you find out that you have a similar interest, background, or commonality with another person you’ve just met, bookmark that moment for future reference. For example, Van Edwards met a woman at a party who also was the eldest of three sisters with a 12 year age span between the sisters. She told the woman that she wanted to connect with her on Facebook so “the next time one of my sisters asks me to get her out of trouble, you might be the only person in the world who gets it.” They became Facebook friends and have since bonded over their mutual family situations.

6. Speak in a natural tone. Talking on the phone can make anyone nervous, and when you’re nervous, your voice might hit a higher pitch. Van Edwards says that a higher-pitch voice often signals that you’re not mature, since higher voices are often associated with children. “Stay in your lowest natural range. You can do this by taking a deep breath in, and then slowly letting it out as you relax your shoulders, neck, and head. Do it again. It’s impossible to speak in a higher range when your vocal cords are relaxed,” says Van Edwards.

7. Find the “light up” topics. Telling stories from your life are wonderful ways to naturally elicit positive emotions with another person. When searching for something to chat about, see what subjects make them light up and ask more about that topic. “This makes the entire conversation more interesting, you are more engaging, and they are more excited about the conversation. Win, win, win,” says Van Edwards.

How do you navigate social situations as an introvert? Share your tips with us @BritandCo.

(Photos via Getty)

Upgrade Your Thanksgiving With A Crescent-Roll Cornucopia

This edible crescent-roll cornucopia is our way of making a normal cheese boardmore festive — and definitely more fun — during the holiday season. Our go-to this time of year is a massive cheese plate that can stand alone and be the main attraction, or the starter for a larger meal. Press on for the surprisingly easy steps to braid a breaded cornucopia.

The easiest and most delicious Thanksgiving crescent roll cornucopia recipe.

Chris Andre

Materials + Tools:

1 roll of tin foil
2 packages of crescent rolls
1 egg (for egg wash before cornucopia goes into the oven), optional

Chris Andre

Instructions:

Start by sculpting tin foil into the shape of a cornucopia (it looks like a cone with an upturned tail). Pro tip: Lightly pack tin foil so it's easier to remove later from your baked cornucopia. Crescent rolls should be buttery enough that this shouldn't be difficult.

Chris Andre

Your tin foil mold should look a little something like this.

Chris Andre

Pop open the crescent rolls and cut the triangles into strips. Pinch together the ends of strips to make strips longer.

Chris Andre

Braid crescent roll strips. You can make these as fancy as you want. Not a braiding pro? Skip this step and leave those strips alone.

Chris Andre

Wrap tin foil cornucopia with braids/strips. Make sure you cover all the tin foil. Leave a little wiggle room at the opening of the cornucopia, so that when you’re done baking you can pull some of that tin foil out.

Chris Andre

Use any extra dough to cover the bottom of your cornucopia. Pinch the sides and anchor those braids/strips in.

Chris Andre

Brush on egg wash before placing your cornucopia in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Take out of oven and cover spots of cornucopia that are already golden brown with extra tin foil. Bake for another 20 minutes at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

Chris Andre

Let it cool down until it’s easy to handle. Remove tin foil.

Chris Andre

Place cornucopia in corner of your cheese plate. Arrange cheese on your serving tray.

Chris Andre

Add crackers — we like to have two or three options.

Chris Andre

Don’t forget to fill up your cornucopia. It's called "the horn of plenty" for a reason. Fill with fresh fruit like grapes, apples, and pears.

Chris Andre

Add nuts like walnuts and pistachios to fill in any empty spaces. Garnish with fresh herbs like rosemary and sage to finish it off.

Chris Andre

Voilà! Invite over your friends, open a bottle of wine, and dig in!

Chris Andre

A cornucopia cheese board will become your new favorite holiday tradition.

Show us your crescent-roll cornucopias on Instagram and check out our baking classes (and our Easy Thanksgiving Desserts piece) for more holiday food inspo!

DIY Production and Styling: Paris Fried

Paris Fried: Paris loves any excuse to celebrate and throw a themed party. She loves experimenting in the kitchen and has a terrible sweet tooth. When she's not crafting in her studio, she's at the farmers' market buying seasonal produce or at her favorite local theater watching double features.

This post has been updated.

The 'Freakier Friday' Writer Just Spilled On The Pink Slip Reunion

We're getting closer and closer to seeing a Freaky Friday2. The cat's out of the bag that the sequel treatment is confirmed and actually happening, and movie stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan have been increasingly vocal about the upcoming movie's plot. The dynamic duo, who you can see in 2024's Borderlands and Irish Wish, respectively, are expected to return as Tess and Anna, the mother and daughter that wake up one titular freaky Friday in swapped bodies.

Filming for Freakier Friday finally began on June 24, and we finally have an official release date for the film! Here's everything we know about Freaky Friday 2 so far.

Is the band Pink Slip going to be in Freaky Friday 2?

Carlo Allegri / Getty Images

Anna's pop-rock teen band, Pink Slip, is undoubtedly integral to the plot of the original Freaky Friday, and thankfully, we'll see the band again in Freakier Friday! (Can we get some performances of “Take Me Away” and “Ultimate"?!). "Pink Slip is back together, the band. Yes!” Lindsay Lohan told Jimmy Fallon. “We just finished [filming] in August. It’s just been such a labor of love to make happen. And Jamie [Lee Curtis] and I, even at the table read, we were just smiling so big. I don’t think we were acting well, because we were so happy. But the movie’s funny, it’s really funny.”

"I may or may not have gotten to go to set and been around some pink slip energy," writer Jordan Weiss told me while promoting Sweethearts. "It may or may not have excited my inner child beyond belief because I was a super fan. I was 10 years old when the first movie came out. So 20 years later to get to work on the sequel as part of that team was a dream and, you know, don't meet your heroes unless your heroes are Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, In which case they're amazing. Meet your heroes."

Before the confirmation, a fewFreaky Friday crew members spilled on whether or not we'll actually see the angsty band in the sequel in an interview with Cosmopolitan.

Screenwriter Heather Hach clearly agreed that the soundtrack played a huge part in the movie's plot. "You take out the band element and I don’t think Freaky Friday would be as popular as it is," she said. "It didn’t feel like a derpy Disney movie. The music was actually really good."

Jaclyn Pearson, PHD, the drummer for the band Lash (who wrote the ever-iconic song "Take Me Away"), teased that Freaky Friday 2 might revisit their discography. "We contacted our record label because we heard there might be a sequel," she said. "We’ve got this whole back catalog. Maybe they could use another song for the film."

Producer Andrew Gunn seemed to suggest the same thing: "We got a draft of a script for the sequel right before the writers’ strike, and it was really good. A writer came up with the most brilliant idea. It uses music and the band in a great way."

When is Freakier Friday coming out?

Walt Disney Studios

Freakier Friday Release Date

Freaky Friday 2 is coming to theaters on August 8, 2025. This is definitely one of our most-anticipated movies of 2025 now!

Is Chad Michael Murray in Freaky Friday 2?

Presley Ann / Getty Images for Netflix

Freakier Friday Cast

Yes, Chad Michael Murray is returning for the sequel!

"How great would it be to bring Jake back?" he teased during the Mother of the Bride premiere in May 2024. "If Jake's invited back, Jake will be there." Thank goodness they invited him back!

Freaky Friday 2 also stars Mark Harmon, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Lucille Soong, Stephen Tobolowsky, Rosalind Chao, Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons, Manny Jacinto, and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan.

What is Freakier Friday going to be about?

Carlo Allegri / Getty Images

Freakier Friday Plot

Freaky Friday 2 sees Anna with a family of her own, including a daughter and a future stepdaughter. According to a press release from Disney, "As they navigate the myriad challenges that come when two families merge, Tess and Anna discover that lightning might indeed strike twice."

"It's going to be a really freaky Friday," Lindsay Lohan told Good Morning America on June 27, 2024. "Much freakier than you would expect."

"[There's] a lot of love, a lot of fun, a lot of laughs," she continues.

Check Out The First Freakier Friday Set Leaks

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A post shared by BitchBeWithYou (@bitchbewithyou)

The first set leaks from Freakier Friday are totally dreamy — and they also prove Anna's just like us, because who didn't go from emo-teen to boho-chic? Jamie Lee Curtis' Tess has published a brand new book, and based on her author photo, she's a lot more carefree than the last time we saw her! We also get a look at new cast member Julia Butters (who might be playing Anna's daughter?) and the internet's newest boyfriend, Manny Jacinto.

Glen Wilson/Disney

Disney posted this sneak-peek screen cap that we can only assume is from the movie. We truly can't wait to watch this sequel!

Are they making a Freaky Friday 2?

John Nacion / Getty Images for Paramount Pictures

Lindsay Lohan said on Andy Cohen's Sirius XM show that Freaky Friday 2 is really and truly happening! However, "I don’t want to say too much,” she said about the potential timeline.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the cast could be on set as early as summer 2024. In addition to Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis reprising their roles, Andrew Gunn and Kristin Burr will produce the movie, Elyse Hollander will write the script, and Ann Marie Sanderlin will executive produce. Nisha Ganatra will direct.

While Lindsay is looking forward to the story, she's “just excited to work with Jamie [Lee Curtis] again and see how much further we can take it," she tells PEOPLE. “We talk almost every other day in general, so I think we're going to have a lot of fun with this."

Are Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan friends?

Jamie Lee Curtis / Instagram

Yes, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan are definitely still friends! In November 2023, Curtis shared an adorable Instagram selfie with Lohan, teasing the upcoming project. And after the writers' and actors' strikes ended, project promotion is slowly returning to light.

"YOU GREW UP and SO BEAUTIFULLY!" the caption reads. "Well, it's Friday, and the strike is over so hopefully, we can switch places again in the near future!" She also tagged Lohan and Disney, which teased the iconic ‘03 comedy in a fun way.

What has Jamie Lee Curtis said about Freaky Friday?

Allyson Riggs

Curtis — coming off some serious cinematic hits, Everything Everywhere All At Once and Halloween Ends — still retains a strong bond with Lohan, and hasn’t exactly been shy about her excitement towards circling back to Freaky Friday. Landing the original role and moving through production was undoubtedly significant to the actress: she cites her own success with Tess after taking on the job at the last minute, despite being booked and busy elsewhere.

“Had I had all the time in the world to prepare, I don’t think it would’ve been so good,” Curtis told the New York Times. “I just had to be in my body. I was also newly sober and I was able to have a community within the movie-work world. That was a big deal for me.”

What has Lindsay Lohan said about Freaky Friday?

Scott Everett White / Netflix

Lohan told the New York Times that she was ready and raring to tackle 2003’s Freaky Fridayback in the day after rocking a dual-role in 1998's The Parent Trap.

“I threw myself into everything: accents, green screens, playing two people,” said Lohan. “So I felt comfortable after that. Freaky Friday felt different because I was going through all of the phases of a 16-year-old [but playing a character who was a year younger]. This was the era of Avril Lavigne and punk, and I wanted to experience it. We did white stripes in my hair.”

The fame Lohan endured at a young age didn’t always leave a positive effect, and it’s been a hot second since we’ve seen her fully emerge back into the spotlight. The star’s been busy since – she moved to Dubai, manages her overseas businesses, got married, and recently welcomed motherhood. After all that, Lohan remains eager to act again – and thankfully in a second Freaky Friday.

“Jamie and I are both open to that, so we’re leaving it in the hands that be,” Lohan told NYT. “We would only make something that people would absolutely adore.”

It sounds like Curtis is ready, too. "As I went around the world with Halloween Ends, people wanted to know if there was going to be another 'Freaky Friday.' Something really touched a chord. When I came back, I called my friends at Disney and said, 'It feels like there’s a movie to be made.'"

Who's writing Freaky Friday 2?

Disney

Freakier Friday was written by Jordan Weiss.

Who is directing Freaky Friday 2?

Jamie Lee Curtis / Instagram

Nisha Ganatra is directing Freaky Friday 2. She’s directed TV episodes on shows like The Mindy Project, Shameless, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Dear White People. Ganatra has also done directorial work in movies like The Hunters, Late Night, and The High Note.

Disney will be distributing the Freaky Friday sequel.

Sign up for our newsletter for more entertainment news, and check out how Chad Michael Murray's Role In The Freaky Friday Cast Almost Went To Jared Padalecki!

This post has been updated.

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Get Ready for Cyber Monday's TikTok-Famous Products You'll Love

Get ahead of the game this Cyber Monday with TikTok-famous products that are taking the internet by storm! From viral beauty must-haves to genius gadgets and trendy home essentials, these top picks have earned their hype for a reason. Whether you're upgrading your routine or checking off your holiday gift list, these TikTok-approved finds are guaranteed to impress. Keep reading to discover the deals you won’t want to miss.

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These Sunglasses Are A Summer Essential

Amazon

Chic meets retro with these Sunglasses that are a statement piece that you can rock all season long. These large frames and tortoise designs add a bold look to your summer outfits, making you stand out in any crowd. Beyond style, these glasses prioritize your eye protection, boasting lenses that shield your eyes from harmful UV rays. They have a comfortable fit and will be a go-to for the season.

How to Rock a Party Like an Extrovert When You’re an Introvert

These 3 Signs Are In For A Dreamy Week, According To Your Horoscope

Upgrade Your Thanksgiving With A Crescent-Roll Cornucopia

The easiest and most delicious Thanksgiving crescent roll cornucopia recipe.

Materials + Tools:

Instructions:

The 'Freakier Friday' Writer Just Spilled On The Pink Slip Reunion

Filming for Freakier Friday finally began on June 24, and we finally have an official release date for the film! Here's everything we know about Freaky Friday 2 so far.

Is the band Pink Slip going to be in Freaky Friday 2?

When is Freakier Friday coming out?

Freakier Friday Release Date

Is Chad Michael Murray in Freaky Friday 2?

Freakier Friday Cast

What is Freakier Friday going to be about?

Freakier Friday Plot

Check Out The First Freakier Friday Set Leaks

Are they making a Freaky Friday 2?

Are Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan friends?

What has Jamie Lee Curtis said about Freaky Friday?

What has Lindsay Lohan said about Freaky Friday?

Who's writing Freaky Friday 2?

Who is directing Freaky Friday 2?

Get Ready for Cyber Monday's TikTok-Famous Products You'll Love

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