Have you ever wondered why some people love being the center of attention while others prefer quiet nights at home? The answer often comes down to personality.

A person’s level of extraversion or introversion is one of the five major dimensions in the Five-Factor Model of personality.¹ The other four personality dimensions include agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness.

What is an introvert vs. extrovert?

The terms “introvert” and “extrovert” describe how people interact with the world around them. The classic theory, as it was laid out by psychologist Hans Eysenck, states that extroverts need more stimulation to function at their peak while introverts have lower thresholds and prefer less stimulation.²

According to Eysenck’s model, personality dimensions are biologically influenced and impact behavior and stress responses.³ The extraversion-introversion trait is associated with different thresholds of physiological arousal. This explains why an extrovert might feel energized after a busy day of meetings, while an introvert might feel drained by the same experience.

Common signs of introversion

Introverts tend to be more reflective, thoughtful, and reserved, focusing on internal experiences.⁴ Here are some common characteristics of introverts:

• They prefer smaller groups: Introverts tend to be quiet, reserved, and less assertive, preferring smaller social groups.^5,6
• They need solitude: Introverts enjoy and seek out spending time alone. They may have fewer social interactions and smaller social networks.⁷
• Worry about acting extroverted: Introverts often anticipate negative feelings when they expect they’ll need to act in extroverted ways.⁸

It’s important to note that being introverted doesn’t mean being shy or antisocial. Introverts simply recharge their batteries differently than extroverts. An introverted person can be engaging and crave time with others; they’re just likely to do it in smaller amounts.

Common signs of extraversion

Extroverts tend to be more outgoing, assertive, and sociable, seeking external stimulation.⁹ Here’s what extraverts often look like:

• They thrive in social settings: Extroverts are likely to come off as warm, assertive, and sociable.¹⁰ They’re often naturally more talkative, energetic, and actively engaged in social interactions.
• They tend to be more energetic: Extraverts display highly active social behaviors.¹¹
• They like to build, and engage with, larger groups: Extraverts maintain larger social networks and find social engagement less depleting than introverts.¹²

Extroverted people often feel most alive when they’re around others and may struggle with too much alone time.

Where do you fall on the introversion-extroversion scale?

Most people aren’t purely introverted or extroverted. While you may lean more toward one than the other, introversion-extraversion exists as a continuum.¹³ It’s most common to fall somewhere in the middle, between the two extremes.

For instance, many introverts enjoy being leaders or attending regular social gatherings despite needing downtime to recharge afterward. Likewise, many extroverts appreciate occasional downtime to simply read a book, watch television, or work on a hobby between people-centered events.

This aligns with Carl Jung’s theory, which suggests that introverts gain energy from inward-focused pursuits while extroverts receive energy from engaging with others.¹⁴

Not sure? You might be an ambivert

If you feel like you’re extroverted sometimes and introverted other times, you might be an “ambivert.” Ambiverts exhibit moderate levels of extraversion, falling in the middle of the scale.¹⁵ Ambiverts can adapt to different situations, enjoying social time but also needing alone time to recharge.

It’s difficult to establish exactly how common introversion, extroversion, and ambiversion are. Measurement tools vary, and the trait exists on a continuum rather than forming clear categories.

Need help understanding and working with your personality type? A licensed therapist can help you explore your personality traits, values, and beliefs and develop strategies for thriving within them.

Benefits and challenges of introversion

Being introverted comes with both advantages and difficulties. Introverts may experience less negative impact during social isolation.¹⁶ Some introverts even reported improved well-being when social time was limited during the COVID-19 pandemic. Introversion has also been shown to correlate with general knowledge across a wide range of academic areas.¹⁷

However, introverts may experience worse psychological health and greater loneliness under normal conditions compared to extroverts.¹⁸ Extroverts’ larger social networks may help buffer stress in ways that introverts’ smaller networks cannot. In group settings, introverts may struggle with leadership roles, voicing opinions, and fast-paced activities.¹⁹

Benefits and challenges of extraversion

Extraversion also has its ups and downs. On the positive side, extraversion strongly correlates with happiness, resilience, and well-being.²⁰ Extroverts tend to experience more intense, and longer-lasting, positive emotions. It may also be a protective factor against mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.²¹

However, there are also drawbacks to extraversion. Extroverts experience greater distress during social isolation, reporting increased depression, sleep disturbances, and loneliness.²² And the idea that extraverts feel less stress when faced with social challenges is a misconception. Research has shown that extroverts may experience even higher levels of physical stress when facing intense social demands compared to introverts.²³

Can you change introversion or extraversion?

Both introversion and extraversion are valid personality styles with unique strengths. Unfortunately, research suggests there has been bias toward viewing extraversion as ideal in contemporary Western cultures, particularly in the workplace.²⁴

While your basic personality style tends to stay relatively stable across the lifespan, you can adapt your behavior when needed.²⁵ People can, and often do, act outside their natural tendencies. Introverts can act extroverted when it serves important goals, though it may take more effort.²⁶

In fact, research has found that some introverts who act in extroverted ways report feeling positively about it and felt they were still acting as their authentic selves.²⁷ But interestingly, it’s been shown that the more someone identified as an introvert, the less authentic it felt to argue against the identity.

It’s important to remember that you don’t need to assign yourself a label and act within it. The key is finding the right balance for you, testing your own ideas, and not pressuring yourself to fulfill anyone’s expectations.

Introversion, extraversion, and mental health concerns

People can be happy and mentally healthy regardless of where they fall on the introversion-extroversion scale. However, there are some cases in which personality traits can overlap with mental health issues.

Introverted profiles have been associated with higher levels of anxiety, loneliness, stress, and depression in young adults.²⁸ And extroverts, as previously mentioned, may experience greater stress if they overwhelm themselves with high-pressure social situations or demanding schedules, putting them at risk of burnout.

If your personality style is causing significant distress or making it hard to function in your daily life, consider talking to a mental health professional. Visit our directory to find a qualified therapist who can help you develop coping strategies that honor your personality while addressing any mental health concerns.