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Insightful Introvert vs Extrovert Statistics
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In this article, we will talk about introvert vs. extrovert statistics people. The characteristics of each personality type and what makes them unique. So if you want to know more, read to the end.
Understanding how extroverted personality or introverted a person is can help psychology professionals better understand the individual and adapt their approach to fit the subject of relationships and social bonds.
It is possible to use many characteristics to describe your personality style, such as extroverted traits and introverted. So Carl Jung was credited for developing these terms, which refer to how individuals focus their energies. Introverted people send their energy inward; they are shy people.
Already the trait of extroversion, people direct their energy outward toward the environment and others. Many things need to be clarified about these two personalities. The most commonly used are introverts, who are shy, withdrawn, and antisocial, and extroverted behaviors, such as charismatic, assertive, and boisterous. However, many times introverts make really good business owners.
But the issue is much more complex. In fact, many people are between the two personalities, and what Laurel Steinberg, Ph.D., says. Let’s see now what scholars say about introverts and extroverted behaviors, the more specific and targeted characteristics.
Introversion
This study about social behavior and introvert vs. extrovert statistics firstly show as introvert prefers to be in their own company and can be fine that way. This person may seem shy, withdrawn, and can pass the more alone time, but sometimes this is not the case. Introverts often prefer less stimulating activities, like meditating, reading, or writing. They usually prefer to concentrate on just one training, think more before speaking and analyze situations well.
Some Signs of an Introverted Person
- Has a small group of friends
- Enjoys their own company
- Quiet and reserved
- More friendly with people they already know very well
- Learns very well just by observing situations
- Keeps their emotions hidden
- Social circles are small
- Enjoys time in solitude
- Prefers privacy
Advantages
There are many advantages to being an introvert, especially when you want to strengthen and maintain relationships in daily life:
In research done in 2018, Social Psychological Ability and Its Correlates, by Anton Gollwitzer and John A. Bargh. It was found that introverted people make more accurate observations of human behavior than extroverted individuals. In this sense, they can “read” people and interpret them better. This is because they are more observant, which makes them wiser, according to what Jennifer Dragonette says in her study.
Thoughts
Introverts are good listeners and very self-aware, which leads them to build longer-lasting relationships. As Steinberg says.
Impulsivity
According to author Dragonette, they are less impulsive and think much more before they say something. So it means that the chances of being offensive or cruel are meager.
Disadvantages
Going Through Embarrassment
According to Steinberg, introverts may be uncomfortable around a larger group of people. Introverted individuals are often misunderstood, Dragonette says because people think they are indifferent or hostile because of their more observant and inward nature.
Managing Emotions
In another 2020 study, it was found that introverts have more problems when it comes to managing emotions. The researchers said this is partly because introverted people turn more on themselves regarding negative feelings. As a result, they may dwell on unwanted emotions instead of looking for a way to deal with specific situations.
Extroversion
An extrovert model of personality is already the opposite of an introvert. They seek social relationships with others as possible because this is how they feel energized. According to studies, extroverted individuals outnumber introverted ones by about three to one.
An extrovert likes to talk a lot, public speaking, make quick decisions, social attention. It is popular among a group of friends.
Some Signs of an Extraverted People
- Sociable
- Prefers talking to writing
- Has many friends
- Seeks attention
- Everyday lives agitated
- Snap Decisions
- Likes to work in groups
Extraverted people direct their interests externally, that is, outwardly, social situations and the environment around them, are extroverted leaders.
Advantages
Extraverted leaders generally feel comfortable and confident in situations requiring socializing; this can make a strong impression on people. And this can lead to the following advantages:
Easily Connecting With New People
Steinberg says extroverted individuals have no problem making new connections with people in different situations, from friendships at work to relationships.
- Strong enthusiasm and high levels of arousal for reaching their goals.
A study done in 2019 made the link of extroversion a significant factor in achieving goals.
Support
Extroverted people benefit from a large circle of friendships and acquaintances, which is good as they are much more supported when needed.
Disadvantages
Fewer Intimate Relationships
Although extroverts have many friends, Steinberg says these friendships may need to be stronger simply because they have too many connections to pay attention to.
They Listen Less
Because they like to share their feelings and thoughts, they stop listening to others. And because of this, they have more superficial connections.
Can Appear Aggressive
A 2016 survey found that while extroverts energize their team members, a circle of people, and colleagues on projects, they are often seen as the people who dominate potential situations that may involve conflict.
Sociability
The two personalities show a very different basis of character on the sociability issue. Extroverts prefer to seek out, get involved in, and enjoy social interactions. On the other hand, introverted individuals are more reserved, select quiet settings, have emotional stability, are withdrawn when socializing, and often avoid social situations altogether.
Guilford & Guilford (1936) presented two extreme sides of sociability: social dependence and social withdrawal. It says introverts tend to be quieter and prefer to spend more time alone. At the same time, extroverts are more sociable, like to be surrounded by people, and often like to be the center of attention.
But this is not to say that introverts are antisocial; on the contrary, they enjoy the overwhelming stimulation of social gatherings.
Communication
At decision-making times, introverts are more accustomed to using the information they already have and making certain decisions than extroverts of the same subject. (Heaton & Kruglanski, 1991).
Studies on the impact of introversion/extroversion on decision-making point out that extroverts make faster decisions with what feels right. Although extroverts show fact-checking behavior before making any decisions, they need someone to direct them in the right direction when they are about to make crucial decisions.
On the other hand, introverts do not make decisions on impulse, as they already prefer to have all considerations thought through, trust intuition, and rely on themselves (Khalil, 2016).
Decision-Making
According to the study by Min Lee & Nass (2003), the leading cause of extroverts’ social presence is that they tend to speak in louder voices more frequently. Make more physical gestures and initiate more conversations than introverted individuals.
A 1972 study by Rutter, Morley and Graham with a group of students noted that extroverts had more eye contact and spoke more frequently than introverts during conversations with strangers.
Ja extroverts are more confident and accurate in interpreting non-verbal language (Akert & Panter 1988). So-called the “extrovert advantage,” this non-verbal language was given the extroverts’ experience in social settings.
At Work
Extroverted people usually have more positive judgments in their life in a general aspect, as well as at work. Research done by Judge, Higgins, Thoresen, and Barricks in 1999 showed positive associations between people’s satisfaction and extroversion. Also, extroverts can remedy unsatisfactory situations in their work more than introverts.
Belojevic, Slepcevic, and Jakovljevic 2001 in a study found that noise distractions in the workplace are a problem for introverts. For, noise introductions cause concentration problems in introverted individuals, unlike extroverts. These results show that introverts have a more expressed reaction to noise, thus leading to a higher level of arousal that can interfere with the performance of complex tasks (Eysenck, 1982).
Let's Now Look at What the Statistics Show
Go looking for statistics related to introversion and extroversion. You will likely find information that needs to be more accurate, and it would need to be more honest about what it points to. It is imperative to have the right source because if it is wrong, you will have unverifiable numbers. So let’s look at evidence-based statistics related to the extroversion-introversion aspect.
A First sample by the Myers-Briggs Organization pointed out that introverted individuals represented 50.0% and extroverts 49.3% of the United States population. McCaulley, Myers, Quenk, and Hammer (1998) then found that in these samples, 52.5% of women and 45.9% of men were extroverted individuals, and 54.1% of men and 47.5% of women were introverted.
A later study done in 2014 by the American Trends Panel used a five-point five-point scale, and 3,243 people participated. Then it was found that 12% of the participants described themselves as quite extroverted, while 5% were introverted. Already 77% of the individuals described themselves somewhere between the two extremes. The other 6% could not represent themselves and were not included in the survey.
In 2008 Freeman did an analysis of how extroversion was different in Singaporean students and American students. The study showed that Singaporean students are less introverted (51%) than American students (62%).
A survey of 3,014 American lawyers found that 56.4% were introverts and 43.6% were extroverts. This data shows that extroversion-introversion is a crucial factor depending on the area in which a lawyer works. For example, labor law professionals had a higher number of extroverted individuals. In contrast, real estate and tax law had more introverts (Richard, 1993).
50% of extroverted people make quick and somewhat rash decisions, while 79% of introverts follow their intuition and feelings (Noman, 2016).
Some Interesting Facts
- Introverted people are more likely to understand their true selves on the Internet. In contrast, extroverted people locate this “true self” through more traditional social interactions. Wainapel, Amichai-Hamburger, and Fox (2002) emphasize the importance of expressing the “true self” and can even be described as a skill. People who do not express their “true selves” may be more likely to suffer from psychological disorders. In this sense, one imagines that the social services available on the Internet represent an access point for people with introverted personalities to form social contact.
- Individuals, who use social media for more than two hours a day, are perceived by others and themselves as human personality extroverted (Harbaugh, 2010).
- Extroverts and introverts act differently regarding the types of training in their workplace. Gardiner, Watson, and O’Connor (2016) showed a relationship between extroversion levels in particular activities, such as ideation skills versus relaxation training. The research suggested that relaxation training is geared towards and more beneficial for introverted people. In contrast, ideation skills training is received better by extroverts.
- Extroverts are likely to opt for immediate rewards. Morisano, Guindon, Hirsh, and Peterson (2010) say that extroverted individuals are more sensitive to behaviors done on impulse, motivated by rewards and incentives, and are more likely to enjoy extreme sports and risky behaviors.
- Introverts and extroverts enjoy different leisure activities. Larson, Diener, and Emmons (1984) said that extroverts like social leisure activities more. And then introverts prefer to participate in more solitary activities.
- Extroverts and introverts have very different verbal styles. Vermeulen, Tanis, and Beukeboom (2012) analyzed extroversion and abstraction of language and found that extroverted people speak more abstractly, while introverts focus more on concrete facts, a direct link.
- Extroverts can be guided to do activities in groups. Ravid and Codish (2014) analyzed extroversion personality traits in people who were quite extroverted and also introverts and noticed different game mechanics in gamification environments. And the findings showed that extroverts like to talk aloud and learn through interactions more. And introverts like to think before they act, work alone, and then present work to maintain their privacy. They prefer paused communications without constant flow.
- Extroverts perform better on tasks when they are rewarded. In their studies, Powell, Kumari, Corr, Pickering, Thornton, and Gray (1995) suggest that the dopamine response is stimulated when extroverts are rewarded. Introverts, on the other hand, are more sensitive to punishment.
Relationships
The relationships between extroverted and introverted people are full of misunderstandings and obstacles. A world of literature aims to help one understand the other.
The dichotomy of introversion and extroversion says that both have very different ways of interacting with others. An extrovert can pick up the phone, call someone, and spontaneously converse. But if the other person on the other end is introverted, it can be a very inappropriate thing to do.
An extrovert who loves to talk and exchange ideas can easily overwhelm an introvert with so much information. The introvert, when he is overstimulated, may seem somewhat uninterested, but, in fact, he is feeling overwhelmed.
In a relationship where one is introverted and the other extroverted, they may have communication problems, as one may not understand the other. For example, imagine a timid/extroverted couple when they get home after a busy day at work. The introvert can quickly get tired of the interaction the other wants to have and so prefers to be silent after this long day.
Extroverts like communication and so are happy to socialize. Although both can exhibit extroverted, more friendly, or antisocial behavior. Extroverts and introverts prefer to look for situations that match their personality. In this sense, it is not a problem if one chooses to go out and socialize and the other wants to relax and stay at home.
And everyone knows that extroverted individuals raise their energy levels through external stimuli and love to socialize, but this for an introvert is not cool. So, instead of dating, introverts value and enjoy spending time alone to think better and organize their thoughts. And then extroverts may see introverts as more distant and indifferent people, and the socialite is seen as oppressive and loud.
Larsen, Diener, and Emmons (1984) say that extroverts flourish when they have plenty of social interactions, unlike introverts, who thrive when they don’t have to do social interactions.
In cases of conflict, both personalities have very different ways of behaving. Introverts are often less willing to compete, assertive, and avoid conflict. On the other hand, according to the studies, extroverts are more likely to face competition (Kilmann & Thomas, 1976).
Although it may seem that the relationships between the two personalities are a failure, this is not the case. The main point of conflict is the lack of understanding of each other. And it is possible to overcome these incompatibilities.
Final Thoughts
Therefore, extroversion and introversion are unique points and specific characteristics of each individual. Introverted people gain precious insights with their observant way of being and take advantage of the time they have alone to do what they like and their personal goals.
On the other hand, extroverted people find it possible to make new friendships and have a vast social network with almost no effort. And finally, we hope this article has been helpful and that wherever you fit into this aspect, it is essential to know that there is no right or wrong way to be.
Related resources: Empowering Small Business (Ecommerce Resources for Growth and Success)
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