As a result of recently visiting both Upstate New York and Jacksonville Beach in Florida, I've thought about which place I prefer. Both are places that I vacationed at in my childhood fairly often, so I truthfully like both of them - just for different reasons. I also might tend to prefer one of the two places based on my mood. Back in February, I was all about Upstate New York, whereas now, having recently visited Florida, I like the Florida beaches more. Also, interestingly enough, yesterday, I learned that apparently, introverted people tend to like the woods more, whereas extroverted people tend to like the beach more.
As stated, my preference depends on my mood. There are times that I really fall in love with the desolate woods, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, and rustic old houses. I have a love for the supernatural, and I've thought that many old houses in the middle of the woods would make good haunted houses. Similarly, the game The 11th Hour somehow reminds me of my grandmother's house in Upstate New York. The spooky nature of The 11th Hour piques my interest in the deep, lonely woods and abandoned old houses. Sometimes, I love the idea of being alone in the abandoned woods - living in a rickety old house.
On the other hand, I also really like the Florida beaches - interestingly enough for the exact opposite reason. Compared to the dark, lonely woods of Upstate New York, the Jacksonville area seemed so much brighter and livelier - especially given its open, bright, blue, and sunny sky. Also, in contrast to many dilapidated and/or abandoned buildings and fallen trees deep in the woods, many of the buildings in Jacksonville looked really upscale - or at the very least, the area just seemed like it was more decorated, luxurious, and well-maintained - especially given all the palm trees. Also, despite being primarily an introvert, I liked Jacksonville because it was just so populated - compared to feeling practically abandoned in the hamlets and villages of Upstate New York. It's weird that, as an introvert, I would like the feeling of being in a populated place like Jacksonville, but I think that being populated makes it somehow feel more happy and secure, whereas being alone in the woods could make one feel lonely and vulnerable. Also, one plus to being in a highly-populated area is that one tends to blend in with the crowd, whereas in lesser-populated areas, one is more likely to get noticed - potentially triggering one's anxiety.
As stated, I like both Upstate New York and Jacksonville Beach for opposite reasons, and I might prefer one over the other given my mood at the time. However, since I recently came back from Florida, I currently love Jacksonville. Although Upstate New York is nice, for reasons stated above, Jacksonville just feels so much happier, and I somehow feel rich there, which is a bit strange - seeing as how the cost of living seems to be overall more expensive in Upstate New York than in Jacksonville - meaning that, in some measures, Jacksonville might be an overall better place to live. One can feel "rich" in a city that actually costs less than one that has a dilapidated look.
Finally, yesterday, I found two articles of interest that actually support how I've felt about Upstate New York and Jacksonville: "A simple choice between two gorgeous photos reveals your personality" by Ana Swanson on August 6, 2015, on The Washington Post and "Beach or mountains? Study shows link between geography and personality" by Jordi Lippe-McGraw on August 14, 2015, on TODAY.com. Apparently, introverted people do prefer to be in the woods, while extroverted people like flat, open areas like beaches. Both of those correlate with how I've felt about the woods and the beach - including the idea (suggested in The Washington Post article) that extroverts tend to be happier than introverts (which might explain why Jacksonville felt "happier" to me).
These two articles were perhaps the main reason why I wrote earlier about being introverted or extroverted in this blog. As I said earlier, I'm mainly an introvert, but I do have extroverted moments - but only when I feel like it. That might explain why I like both Upstate New York and Jacksonville Beach - depending on how I feel.
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