The Big Five Personality Traits: Extraversion

Would you rather spend a Friday night out at a busy bar or curled up on the couch watching your favourite movie? Do you prefer attending parties and large gatherings or small and intimate catch ups? Are you the type of person who is loud and vocal at social events or do you tend to be quieter and speak to one or two people at a time? Depending on the way in which you answered these questions, this may give some indication as to whether you are introverted or extroverted.

Extroversion refers in general to people who focus their attention on the outer world (physical and social). These people tend to be outgoing, talkative and assertive in their social interactions. 

Introversion on the other hand, refers to people who focus their attention primarily on their inner world (thoughts, ideas and feelings). These people are generally quieter than those who are high in extroversion and feel more energised from time alone.

People who are high on the trait of extroversion tend to find it easy to form new relationships, enjoy being around people and find greater pleasure from large gatherings and social events than those who score lower on this trait. However it is important to remember that this trait is broad and should be considered in part through its lower order traits as defined by the NEO Personality Inventory.

Warmth: This facet of extraversion relates primarily to interpersonal intimacy. People high on warmth are affectionate and friendly; they like being around people and find it relatively easy to form relationships with others. People who score lower do not necessarily lack compassion, however they do tend to be more reserved and distant in new relationships; especially in the beginning phases.

Gregariousness: People who are high on gregariousness have a preference for other people’s company. These are the types of people who thrive in social settings and large gatherings. People who score lower on gregariousness do not actively seek out social company and prefer to be either on their own or with one or two known and trusted others.

Assertiveness: People who score higher on this facet tend to be more dominant, firm and self-assured. These people are also more likely to be leaders. People who score lower on assertiveness tend to be quieter and prefer to let others do the majority of the talking. These people tend to find it more difficulty to assert themselves, even when it is necessary or justified.

Activity: Higher scores in activity are related to people who have a need to keep busy throughout their day to day life and prefer to live in a fast-paced manner. People who score lower on this facet have a tendency to be more leisurely or move at a more relaxed pace, however it is important to note that this does not necessarily mean that these people are lazy.

Excitement Seeking: Individuals who score higher on excitement seeking tend to seek out stimulation and enjoy taking part in exciting activities. These people may also enjoy noisy environments. People lower in excitement seeking do not feel the need for this level of stimulation or excitement and prefer to live their lives in a more ‘routine’ manner.

Positive Emotions: Higher scores in positive emotions refer to people’s tendency to experience positive emotions such as happiness, love and excitement easily. People may describe these individuals as optimistic and generally happy. People lower in positive emotions are not necessarily unhappy, however they do appear to be less vivacious than their counterparts.

What makes someone extroverted or introverted?

One study found that introverts had an increased blood flow in the frontal lobes and anterior thalamus, areas that are usually involved in problem solving, planning and judgment. Extroverts in contrast, showed increased blood flow in the anterior cingulate gyrus, temporal lobe and posterior thalamus; areas that are primarily involved in processing sensory data. This might provide a possible explanation for why introverts tend to focus their attention more inwardly while extroverts focus their attention more outwardly.

Another study suggested that the reticular activating system (a structure that is primarily responsible for regulating arousal) has a higher level of basal activity for introverts as opposed to extroverts. This might mean that at a very loud and large gathering, introverts might reach a high level of arousal relatively quickly and thereafter become overwhelmed and de-energised. Extroverts on the other hand will not reach this level of arousal so quickly and easily and enjoy highly stimulating environments much more.

Are there gender differences in extroversion?

When looking at the trait of extroversion in its entirety it appears that women tend to be slightly higher on extroversion than men – however, it is useful to consider this at the level of its individual facets. It appears that women tend to score higher than men on facets of warmth, gregariousness and positive emotions while men tend to score higher than women on the facets of assertiveness and excitement seeking.

Does extroversion change over time?

The research seems to suggest that extroversion appears to hit its peak around teenage years and throughout ones twenties. Thereafter, it tends to decrease steadily into older age for most people.