Communication styles
Editor’s Note: The comparisons we’ve gathered are generalizations that can help explain the actions and motivations of those who identify with the extreme ends of the continuum between introversion and extroversion. The editors acknowledge that there are many complex, inter-related variables involved in people’s personalities and behaviour. The following information is intended to be explanatory and is not meant to suggest that a particular personality trait or type is better than any other.
| Introverts | Extroverts |
|---|---|
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50 : 50 | |
Some measures suggest that 25 to 30 per cent of the population are introverts and 70 to 75 cent are extroverts, but according to the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator, the ratio in America is 50:50. There appears to be no gender difference. David Posen, A Guide To Living In Harmony With Your True Self | |
Silence is golden/gets old fast
Introverts like silence because they need time to think, to process what’s going on and to formulate ideas.
Extroverts talk a lot and are uncomfortable with silences. They get impatient waiting for a response and interpret silence as rudeness, purposeful withholding or even incompetence.
Work habits
Introverts prefer to approach their tasks slowly and carefully. Their aim is quality. They prefer
to plan carefully and account for every detail.
Extroverts prefer to work quickly and get things done, even if it means making a few mistakes. They tend to be procrastinators. The pressure of doing tasks close to a deadline increases their arousal and performance. This is called the “scalloping effect.”
Conflict, risk and motivation
Introverts are uncomfortable with conflict and will avoid it wherever possible. They are less motivated by reward cues and more sensitive to punishment cues. Their aversion to danger and discomfort leads them to play it safe.
Extroverts are highly sensitive to reward cues and opportunities. They give more weight to potential positives and downplay negative possibilities. This can lead to impulsive or risk-taking behaviour.
Memory serves
Memory is organized differently in introverts and extroverts.
Introverts have better long-term memory and do better on long-term memory tasks.
Extroverts have better short-term memory and do better on short-term memory tasks. This helps them “think on their feet.”
Wine anyone? Caffeine?
Introverts and extroverts react differently to drugs and chemicals.
Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. In moderation, it can quiet the overactivity in the brain of introverts, enhancing their performance in social situations.
Caffeine is a cortical stimulant. It helps extroverts perform more effectively but worsens the performance of introverts.
In the nursery
Researchers discovered that when they make a loud noise in a nursery, some babies will show keen interest in the sound while others will turn away. Researchers found that the babies who are attracted to the sound tend to grow up to be extroverts, whereas those who turn away from the noise are more likely to grow up to be introverts.
| Playing against type |
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At times, in response to life’s challenges, it’s necessary and beneficial to suppress natural traits and act out of character, but doing so causes arousal in the autonomic nervous system, and allowing this for regular, prolonged stretches without time to recuperate can be detrimental to a person’s physical and psychological health. For introverts who must act as pseudo-extroverts, one solution is to find a quiet, restorative niche to escape from stimulation. For extroverts who must act as pseudo-introverts, a solution is to escape to a situation that will re-engage and re-energize them, such as a party or busy nightclub. “We need to be very careful when we act protractedly out of character. Sometimes we may find that we don’t take care of ourselves.” Brian Little, Me, Myself and Us: The Science of Personality and the Art of Well-Being |
