The Life of an Introvert

The Science Behind Introverts/Extroverts

Please disregard the picture. It will make sense later, I promise.

So as it turns out, there is some science behind what makes a person an introvert or extrovert. It goes beyond simply who talks more and who goes to parties more often. Personally, I think some of the studies that I'm about to talk about are pretty interesting, probably because I like psychology, but if this doesn't interest you, feel free to move on.

The words introvert and extrovert were made up by some guy named Carl Jung in the 1920s. Basically his ideas were built up on the theory that introverts got more energy from being alone, while extroverts got more energy around other people.

Were you taking notes? There's going to be a quiz on this next Thursday. Stop texting in class.

Just kidding.

Jung literally says "There is no such thing as a pure introvert or extrovert. Such a person would probably end up in the lunatic asylum.

That's funny. And probably true.

So other scientists decided that Jung might be on to something, and wanted to find out if there were any brain differences in extroverts vs introverts. One man named Hans Eysenck (if anyone knows how to pronounce that would you let me know) found out that introverts tend to have a higher level of cortical arousal. And no, not that kind of arousal. Cortical arousal is how you respond to stimulation.

Extroverts have a lower level of cortical arousal. This basically means that extroverts have an easier time dealing with loud or very stimulating environments. I'm sure you already know that, but that's the reason why.

Stimuli doesn't always mean lights or sounds, though. Stimuli can mean taste or touch. In one study, called "the lemon juice experiment", a drop of lemon juice was placed on people's tongues to see how their bodies would react.

Apparently, introverted people tend to salivate more when this happens to them. That's pretty funny. Kinda gross, but funny.

Some studies also show that introverts and extroverts may differ in their clothing choices. While introverts tend to wear more practical clothing, extroverts may wear more decorative clothing.

Interesting. I do have a very introverted friend, and she wears knee-high mismatched socks that are colorful and bold. Practical? Not so much. Cool? Yes. I say that everyone, introverted or not, should be required to wear cool socks.

Another study showed that extroverts are more likely to be risk takers. Introverts are more likely to wait for another opportunity to come down the line. That may be why extroversion is a valued trait when it comes to things like the business world.

But the study that I really wanted to talk about was one that was done on babies. The study basically had a group of around 10 babies, and all these babies were exposed to light or sound stimulus. For example, the sound of fireworks, the sound of balloons popping, basically just loud noises.

Some babies were totally chill with this. Like, whatever. I'm just going to go and do baby stuff now.

Some babies, on the other hand, freaked out and started crying and trying to get away from the sounds.

When they did studies on these babies after they grew up, they found that the babies who freaked out when exposed to stimuli were much more likely to be introverted, while the babies who were totally chill about it were more likely to be extroverted.

That study was really interesting for me. When I was a little kid, loud noises scared the crap out of me. I hated fireworks, and would go hide in the bathroom and put these bigass headphones so I could listen to Barney or something. Balloons, too. Whenever a balloon popped and I was near it, I would flip out. To this day, I can't tell you why I hated loud noises. I knew there was nothing to be afraid of. I knew that loud noises couldn't actually hurt me. I just really hated it. Part of it, I guess, was that they were unexpected. And well, loud.

Today, I think fireworks are awesome. I still hate the sound of balloons popping, but I can deal with it without having a meltdown.

Could that have something to do with me being introverted today? Maybe. On the other hand I know extroverted people that hate the sound of balloons popping. But I do think that the studies have merit.

None of these studies indicate that one personality type is "better" than the other. Most of them just go with what I've been saying. Each type has their strengths and their weaknesses. Being a risk taker can benefit you greatly in some situations, but in others, waiting for another opportunity to come along may be a better idea.

Also important is that none of these are black and white. It's not like someone who is an introvert is automatically one way and someone who is an extrovert is automatically the other. Studies don't tell you how you have to live your life, so you should live it the way you want to.

Unless your life involves killing people or eating other people's jewelry. In that case, you probably should not live your life the way you want to.