The considerable advantages of being an extravert — especially in the work environment.
Extraverts typically seek out new experiences, prefer to take charge and are outgoing and talkative.
Introverts, meanwhile tend to be emotionally reserved, quiet and harder to get to know.
A review of the research finds that extraverts tend to enjoy a variety of advantages in the workplace.
Extraverts tend to have better social skills, they feel more positive emotions and are more motivated.
Positive emotions are important as happier people tend to work harder and are seen as better leaders.
Better social skills are linked to persuasion, which is also a key leadership skill.
On top of these advantages, extraverts tend to perform better at work.
This benefit probably springs from their personalities, said Dr Michael Wilmot, the study’s first author:
“If you’re motivated to achieve a goal at work, if you’re feeling positive and you’re good at dealing with people, you’re probably going to perform better on the job.
These advantages appear to have a cumulative effect over the span of one’s career.”
However, introverts should not be dismayed, as they have different skills which are sought after in certain occupations.
In addition, most people are ‘ambiverts’, with a mix of extraverted and introverted traits.
Dr Wilmot said:
“You might be more introverted, but if you’re intelligent, work hard and bring other things to the table, you’re probably going to do well.
At the same time, if you’re more extroverted, but lack the cognitive ability or work ethic, you’re probably not going to be as successful.”
The results come from a review of 91 separate studies conducted around the world on the link between extraversion and work-related factors.
The studies looked at things like work-life balance, motivation, performance and emotional well-being.
The results showed that extraversion was beneficial for 90 percent of the outcomes they examined.
The study was published in the Journal of Applied Psychology (Wilmot et al., 2019).
