Is Extraversion a Cheat Code for Life?

Can Introverts Get in on That?

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Extraverts Have It Better

It may be hard to believe, but solid academic research indicates that people high on the Extraversion personality scale are:

• Happier

• Luckier

• Perceived to be more intelligent

• More likely to find leadership roles

As an introvert myself, this doesn’t feel fair.

Psychology researchers have used the Big Five personality traits to study human behavior for decades over thousands of studies. “Extraversion” is one of those five traits and is measured on a scale—extraverts are high on the Extraversion scale whereas introverts are low on that scale.

Since Outsmart the Learning Curve is about helping you change and improve, it’s worth asking, “Can people consciously move around on the Extraversion scale?” That is, can introverts behave more extraverted, at least outwardly, to get some of the benefits enjoyed by people high on the Extraversion scale? Further, is there a way for extraverts to move even higher on the Extraversion scale, especially if it can lead to better outcomes?

Amazingly, the answer to both questions is “yes.”

Proving People Can Change Their Extraversion

A clever 2020 study out of University of California, Riverside explored this question by splitting 131 college students into two groups: one group was asked to behave in a more extraverted way for a week while the other group was asked to behave more as an introvert during that week. The next week the two groups switched which personality trait to exhibit.

This experimental setup was designed to determine if there was a causal relationship between increased extraversion behavior and concrete outcomes. Note that most Big Five Personality studies point to correlative results. If you’re hazy on the causal/correlative stuff, causal studies show a direct relationship (e.g., smoking causes lung cancer) whereas correlative studies observe a relationship between two variables without proving causation (e.g., when ice cream sales go up, shark attacks do too). While correlation is interesting, causal results are more enlightening and actionable.

The causal results of the UC-Riverside experiment were quite eye-opening. The researchers found that those acting more extraverted for a week had the following self-reported positive effects, independent of whether they participated as extraverts in the first week or the second week:

• Higher Positive Affect. Subjects reported substantially higher positive emotions (e.g. joy, excitement, enthusiasm) during the extraverted weeks.

• Increased Connectedness. Subjects felt more connected with and close to others during the extraverted weeks.

• Improved Flow. Subjects reported higher levels of flow (feeling energized, focused, involved in activities) during extraverted weeks.

• Higher Life Satisfaction. Subjects rated their overall life satisfaction more favorably during extraverted weeks compared to introverted weeks.

• Improved Competence. Subjects felt more competent and believed they could master hard challenges during the extraverted weeks.

• More Autonomy. Subjects felt more autonomous and freer to do things their own way during the extraverted weeks.

The researchers found that each of these improvements had a substantial .2 to .3 standard deviations of difference between the introverted week and the extraverted week.

How To Increase Your Extraversion Level

So how did the researchers advise the subjects to be more extraverted for that week? They simply instructed the subjects to: “try to act as talkative, assertive, and spontaneous as you can." With an intention to increase adherence to this advice, they also told the students that previous research found these behaviors were beneficial for college students.

Simply act as talkative, assertive, and spontaneous as you can.

In addition, the researchers asked the participants to list five specific ways they planned to change their behavior over the next week. This planning exercise was intended to increase the impact of the instructions and has been shown in other research to be effective for this purpose. Last, the researchers sent three emails during the week reminding participants of their assigned behavior.

Beyond these simple instructions, the specific techniques and plans were completely left up to each participant. Note too, the researchers conducted a baseline Big Five Personality test on the subjects, and their baseline results affected neither their outcomes nor which group they were assigned. That is, no matter where they were on the Extraversion scale at baseline, asking them to act more extraverted for a week yielded an increase in positive feelings.

Clearly, this is a limited study with only college students conducted over a two-week period. Much more study should be done to validate these findings. With those caveats, this study indicates that whether you’re an introvert or an extravert, by simply consciously adopting more extraverted behaviors such as being more talkative, assertive, and spontaneous, you can have profound effects on your well-being, connectedness, and even competence.

So, whether you consider yourself an introvert or an extravert, challenge yourself to experiment with acting more extraverted in your daily life. Try striking up a conversation with a colleague you normally wouldn’t have or sharing your ideas more assertively in a meeting. Pay attention to how these changes make you feel and the impact they have on your relationships and overall well-being. Perhaps the most empowering takeaway here is that you can make positive improvements to your happiness, connectedness, and life satisfaction simply by being brave enough to “act” in an extraverted way.

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