Extroversion: Definition, Examples, and Benefits

The term extroversion was introduced by psychologist Carl Jung in 1921. He used it to describe people who tend to direct their energy outward, engaging primarily with things outside of themselves like people and things.

Today we’ve expanded the term to include behaviors and personality characteristics. Extroverts are typically outgoing, social, assertive, and expressive. Extroverts enjoy interacting with others and feel energized by social interactions. They seek out external stimulation and usually don’t enjoy spending a lot of time alone.

You may have come across extroversion with an “o” and extraversion with an “a”. Are these two different things? Or is one just spelled incorrectly? 

In everyday conversation, these two words are generally interchangeable, mostly just an alternate spelling. Both spellings are acceptable.  

But some argue there is a slight difference. “Extraversion” with an “a” came first. This was how psychologist Carl Jung spelled it when he coined the term, which he defined as the outward turning of “psychic energy” (Beebe, 2016). Jung didn’t describe behaviors, such as outgoingness, gregariousness, and assertiveness, which is how we typically use the term today. Usually, when you see it spelled with an “a”, it’s being used more the way Jung envisioned, which is why you are probably more likely to see “extraversion” used in scientific papers or more “serious” articles.​

We can’t explore extroversion without talking about its opposite–introversion. Especially since researchers agree that extroversion and introversion are on a continuum, with most people having characteristics of both.

In contrast to extroverts, introverts direct their energy inward. They tend to focus more on their inner world of thoughts and ideas, spending time in introspection, rather than focusing on things outside themselves. Most of us tend toward one end or the other, but few people are exclusively extroverted or introverted. You may also have come across the term “ambivert” to describe someone who falls pretty much right in the middle.
 
Introversion is not the same as shyness. Shyness indicates discomfort with social interactions or worry about social judgments. While introverts usually have a lower need for social interactions, they don’t necessarily feel anxious in social situations. 

In addition, introverts are not anti-social, and most do value social connection and support. It’s just that they prefer to connect individually or in small groups and need more downtime to recharge afterward. After a large social gathering, they may feel drained, while an extrovert feels energized. 

From my personal experience, I think of coworkers who “think out loud” when trying to solve a problem. They love to brainstorm, and their thoughts seem to flow out spontaneously. They bounce ideas off other people rather than reflecting and refining ideas before speaking. As an introverted type, sometimes I find this frustrating when work meetings go long for no reason that I can see. I have to remind myself that talking and interacting are part of their problem-solving process. And they are likely getting benefits from the social aspect as well.

The Covid-19 lockdown also highlighted differences between extroverts and introverts. When the pandemic hit, I was a manager at an in-person support center. Some of my coworkers (including me) were ecstatic to work from home. Leaning toward introversion, we work well in solitude and were happy to avoid the commute and office small talk. (You may have seen the memes on the Internet about the lockdown being an introvert’s dream come true.)

As for the extroverts’ reaction, I think of one coworker in particular. He is super-social and thrives on being around others. It’s one quality that made him such a good support agent. He’s an expert at connecting with people quickly and making them feel comfortable, even with people quite different from himself. As the lockdown lingered on, he was going crazy. And later, while others resisted coming back to the office, he couldn’t wait.​

Here are some questions that help determine your level of extroversion. 

Indicators of extroversion:

• I am the life of the party.
• I feel comfortable around people.
• I start conversations.
• I talk to a lot of different people at parties.
• I don’t mind being the center of attention.

Indicators of introversion:

• I don’t talk a lot.
• I keep in the background.
• I have little to say.
• I don’t like to draw attention to myself.
• I am quiet around strangers.

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You can also take the free Big Five personality test online which includes a measurement of your level of extroversion. 

Some benefits of extroversion include:

• Higher reported levels of happiness
• Reported higher levels of self-esteem which is related to happiness
• Have more social support, also related to happiness
• Living longer which may be related to higher levels of happiness and social support
• More likely to get hired for high-earning jobs 
• More likely to be promoted at work

These benefits may be partially a result of characteristics associated with extroverts as well as our cultural bias toward extroversion. (More on that later.)

Research shows that most people naturally become more introverted with age (Costa et al., 2000). When younger, we’re more motivated to seek out opportunities to find a life partner, which typically involves increasing our social circle. But then as we age, we tend to desire a small group of intimate connections instead of a large social group. This makes sense from an evolutionary viewpoint. When we’re younger, it’s a priority to find a mate. Then once you’re settled into a long-term relationship, it becomes less important. 

Even though we all tend to shift a bit toward introversion as we age, your “extroversion ranking” stays the same. For example, if were the most extroverted person in your high school class, at your 30-year high school reunion, you’ll probably still hold that position. Even if you’re less extroverted than you used to be.

But can you intentionally become more introverted, and why would you want to? Advantages related to introversion include the ability to reflect and the ability to work independently, which are beneficial for professions like writers and scientists (Petric, 2022). While it’s probably impossible to go from being an extreme extrovert to an introvert, we can intentionally increase our level of introversion (Petric, 2022). Suggestions include spending more time in activities that allow you to shift toward your inner world such as keeping a journal, making art, reading, listening to music by yourself, and meditating.

Social anxiety is the “fear of social situations in which embarrassment may occur or there is a risk of being negatively evaluated by others” (APA, 2023). Since it’s impossible to avoid being judged by others, it’s no surprise that this is a common form of anxiety. 

Social anxiety is more often seen in introverts, but extroverts can have it too (Kaplan et al., 2015). A study showed this is especially true for extroverts with a high need for approval (Steers et al., 2016).  

But while both introverts and extroverts can be uncomfortable or anxious in social situations, they tend to express it in different ways. An introvert is more likely to become quiet, avoid drawing attention to themselves and look for a way to leave early. In contrast, an extrovert may overcompensate, becoming overly talkative, or try too hard to be funny. In both cases, it’s a way to protect themselves. 

Extroversion bias is our society’s preference for extroverts over introverts. This is especially true in Western culture, where extrovert traits like outgoingness, charisma, and assertiveness are highly valued (Lawn et al., 2018). This may leave many introverts struggling to adapt or trying to change their personalities. A quick Google search on “extroversion” results in an abundance of articles on ways introverts can become more extroverted. But articles on becoming more introverted?…. not so much. 

This bias can be seen in schools and the workplace. For example, college courses often require participation in each class and even make it a big chunk of your grade. This obviously favors extroverts who have a much easier time speaking up and are more comfortable drawing attention to themselves.

Extroversion Bias Example
Here’s an example from my personal experience. As an introverted 5-year old, my hell was show-and-tell. When forced to first do this in kindergarten, I usually just froze. My teacher became so frustrated with me that she threatened to hold me back from first grade. Even though I was doing just fine in every other respect. (It turned out to be an idle threat because I did make it to first grade without ever becoming adept at show-and-tell.)

Extroversion Bias In The Workplace
At the workplace, one study found that extroverts are more likely to get hired by elite companies (Rivera, 2012). This is because people hiring positions tend to favor candidates that are “culturally similar” to themselves. These cultural similarities include hobbies, experiences, and self-presentation styles. Since most managers and supervisors are extroverted, they are attracted (maybe subconsciously) to candidates that are like themselves. This is especially the case during interviews, where personality and self-presentation style are more apparent. When deciding who to hire, managers even gave more weight to cultural similarity than qualifications or productiveness. They’re looking for someone who will “fit in”.

Many studies show a connection between extroversion and happiness (Pavot et al., 1990). But why? 

Social Support
The correlation between extroversion and happiness may be due to other factors that are connected to extroversion such as social support (Tan et al., 2016). Researchers have found that having strong social relationships is the most important factor contributing to happiness (Saphire-Bernstein & Taylor, 2013). So since extroverts engage in more social behaviors, this may contribute to higher levels of happiness. Even small things like striking up a casual conversation with the grocery store clerk as been shown to increase feelings of well-being (Martela & Ryan, 2016).

Bias
Another reason extroverts report higher levels of well-being might be our culture’s preference for extroverted personality traits. Because of this cultural preference, extroverts feel like they “fit” better and are more accepted, which leads to higher levels of positive emotions (Lawn et al., 2018). Introverts may feel pressure to change, to behave more like extroverts. However, a study showed that introverts who accept themselves and don’t feel the need to change reported feeling content (Lawn et al., 2018), demonstrating the importance of self-acceptance.

Self-Esteem
With the cultural bias toward extroverts, it probably comes as no surprise that there’s a connection between high self-esteem and extroversion (Vaughan-Johnston et al., 2020). And since people with higher self-esteem report higher levels of well-being, this could be what is contributing to happiness more so than the extroversion itself. It seems like this can become a self-fueling cycle. People that are naturally more extroverted have more social interactions which lead to higher self-esteem which leads to more extroverted behavior. 

Does Acting More Extroverted Help?
An interesting study showed that introverts can get some of the mood-boosting benefits enjoyed by extroverts by acting more like an extrovert (Margolis & Lyubomirsky, 2020). Some participants were told to be more talkative, assertive, and spontaneous for one week. At the end of the week, they reported higher levels of well-being and positive emotions.  

However, there may be drawbacks. Another study suggests for those at the higher end of the introversion spectrum, acting like an extrovert had a negative effect. They started to feel tired and inauthentic. So their feelings of well-being decreased (Jacques-Hamilton et al., 2019). 

This goes along with my personal experience. As an introvert, I typically don’t look forward to social engagements. But once I’m there and start interacting, I usually enjoy it and feel a mood lift. However, I do need some time alone to recharge afterward. And when forced to do it too often, I feel drained.

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