Some of us like to spend our weekend with a book in hand, while others prefer a night
out being the centre of attention.
But from a scientific perspective, is there an advantage to being an introvert or an extrovert?
Which is better?
The idea of two polar personalities was first described by Swiss German psychologist Carl
Jung, who coined the terms introversion and extraversion.
Jung’s theory was further elaborated upon by Hans Eysenck, a German psychologist who
defined introverts and extroverts by their baseline arousal.
Extroverts, with their lower level of arousal, would need to do more exciting things that
would physically and mentally exhaust an introvert, in order to reach satisfaction.
So while an introvert might be content with a leisurely bicycle ride through a quiet park,
an extrovert might need to hit the dirt roads in order to feel mentally satisfied.
Brain scans show a thicker prefrontal cortex in introverts compared to extroverts, which
is associated with deeper thought and planning, suggesting that extroverts may be more impulsive
than introverts, who prefer to ‘mull things over’ instead of directly springing into
action.
But because of this tendency to ruminate in introverts, they’re also more susceptible
to developing anxiety and depression.
Extroverts also respond more strongly to rewards, with brain scans showing a significantly more
activated dopamine reward system than introverts, when completing and winning a computerized
gambling task.
And given that we’re social animals, dopamine is also released when interacting with other
humans.
This was especially important as hunter-gatherers who relied upon others for both food and protection
from predators.
However, human connection has a greater impact on extroverts than introverts.
In fact, it has been shown that the brains of extroverts respond more strongly when shown
photos of humans faces compared to neutral photos of nature.
For introverts, the brain response is similar between the two.
Now, that’s not to say that introverts don’t feel any excitement from winning or that they
strongly dislike being around people.
But they simply don’t feel as excited and don’t require as much social interaction
in order to feel good.
In terms of genetics, there may be an evolutionary advantage to each trait.
For instance, introverts might have stuck to the sidelines to avoid predators, while
extroverts would roam and explore giving them an advantage when food is scarce.
A study involving 130 participants discovered that those who were more inclined to be adventurous
had two copies of one particular allele (Met/Met), reinforcing the idea that these personality
traits are partially linked to genetics.
In many ways our society has an extroversion bias, where qualities like ‘putting yourself
out there’ are highly valued.
Our institutions are also often designed with the extroverts in mind, where ‘group work’
is a popular practice in most schools and workplaces, with the idea that creativity
comes from a sociable place.
However, as social animals we instinctively mimic others opinions without realizing it,
suggesting that your brainstorming sessions with others may not always be productive.
When we disagree with a group, neuroscientists have shown high activation in the amygdala
- a part of the brain associated with the sting of rejection.
When we think of introverts, shyness and the preference to be alone often come to mind,
but in reality, introverts may simply prefer close conversations with one or a few people,
instead of dozens.
Furthermore, introverts may even be better public speakers, as they are known to think
through ideas thoroughly compared to extroverts, who may choose to make rash decisions instead.
But, perhaps you are an ambivert, right in the middle of the introvert/extrovert Venn
diagram, combining the best of both worlds!
A recent study involving 340 call centre representatives had their sales record tracked for a period
of three months.
Those who were neither strong extroverts or introverts generated the most revenue, averaging
$208 per hour, compared to the study average of $138 per hour.
So, what do you see yourself as?
And do you think one is better than the other?
Let us know in the comments below!
Special thanks to audible for supporting this episode to give you a free 30 day trial at
audible.com/asap.
This week we wanted to recommend the book “Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is
Your Hidden Strength” which analyzes strategies for introverts to excel, living in an extroverted
world!
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