The Ins and Outs of Introverts and Extroverts

For every extrovert you’ve met, there’s an introvert somewhere out there! The Center for Applications of Psychological Type reports between 45% and 53% of people in the U.S. are extroverted, and 47% to 55% are introverted.

Introverts aren’t always shy loners. This personality type has more to do with how you process things than how outgoing you are. Introverts deal with the world based on ideas, memories, and thoughts in their own minds. Extroverts, on the other hand, work best by talking through ideas with other people.

Extroverts love feedback. They’re motivated by rewards. So they take less time to think through a decision and act quicker than introverts do, in order to get to the result.

Some animals can have personality types just like we do. Researchers who studied a group of sharks found that the solitary ones (introverts) kept to themselves, even when swimming to a new location. Sharks in groups (extroverts) tended to deal with new situations together. Surfers, take note: If you’re going to run into a shark, hope for an introvert.

If you’re an introvert, you’re more likely to score higher on intelligence tests than your extroverted friends. But before you brag about your superior smarts, introverts, you should know: Studies say it may have more to do with how well you take tests than how smart you are.

Introverts use certain parts of their brain more often than extroverts do. So blood flow is higher in those areas. Introverts have more blood flow to their frontal lobes, the part of the brain that deals with remembering, problem solving, and planning. Extroverts have more blood pumping to areas of the brain involved in driving, listening, and watching.

Your personality type isn’t an all-or-nothing deal. Psychologists measure extroversion and introversion on a scale. You might be more highly extroverted than another extrovert, for example. Some people fall right in the middle of the scale. They show signs of both personality types. Psychologists call these people ambiverts.

Introverts value one-on-one time over big groups. They also tend to think through things on their own rather than talk it out with others. Studies show that the same is true when introverts interact on social networks. They tend to have smaller online friend groups than extroverts.

Looking for an introverted study buddy? Try a library. Because introverts like to do more internal processing, distractions can be overwhelming. Background noises make it harder for them to stay on task. Extroverts focus better around music or other noises than introverts do. 

Carl Jung, the psychiatrist who came up with the terms extrovert and introvert, believed everyone had one true type. But he also thought it might take time for you to figure out what your true type is. So while you’re not likely to swing wildly from extreme introvert to extreme extrovert, you might fall in different places on the scale depending on your stage of life or the environment you’re in when you take the personality test.