The Personality Report

The Big Five personality traits

Extraversion

Extraversion is the Big Five personality trait that describes how much a person is drawn to people, talk and activity. High scorers, often called extraverts, are outgoing, talkative and energized by company. Low scorers, often called introverts, are quieter and need time alone to recover their energy. Many people sit in between. The trait describes where energy comes from, not social skill or worth.

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What extraversion measures

Extraversion includes sociability, assertiveness, talkativeness and a liking for excitement. An extravert at a party is likely to talk to many people and stay late. An introvert at the same party may have a long conversation with one person and leave early, and both may have enjoyed themselves. The difference is how the evening affects them afterward: one leaves with more energy, the other with less.

Introversion is not the same as shyness. Shyness is anxiety about how others will judge a person, and both introverts and extraverts can feel it. Many introverts are confident speakers who simply prefer quieter settings. Extraverts are not always confident either; some are outgoing and still worry a good deal about how they come across in a group.

This test measures extraversion with items from the public-domain IPIP Big-Five Factor Markers, and compares each result with about 6,800 US adults who answered the same items. Scores below the 30th percentile are reported as low, scores from the 30th to the 70th as average, and scores above the 70th as high. People in the middle are sometimes called ambiverts.

High extraversion

People who score high on extraversion get energy from company and activity. They tend to start conversations, speak up in groups, enjoy attention and make plans with others. Many are warm, enthusiastic and quick to act. The downside is that they may talk over quieter people, fill every silence, overbook their time and get restless or low when they spend long periods alone.

Low extraversion

People who score low on extraversion, usually called introverts, prefer quiet settings, small groups and time alone. They tend to listen more than they talk, think before speaking and keep a few close friendships. Many are calm, focused and attentive. The downside is that they can be overlooked in groups, seen as distant by people who do not know them, and may skip events that matter.

Questions about extraversion

Are extraverts happier than introverts?
Extraverts tend to describe more upbeat, excited feelings, and most models of the trait count that kind of positive emotion as part of extraversion itself. That is not the same as a better life. Introverts often describe their good days as calm and content rather than excited, and many are very satisfied with their lives. A trait score cannot tell you how happy a particular person is.
Is introversion the same as shyness?
No. Introversion is a preference for less stimulation: quieter places, smaller groups, time alone to recover. Shyness is anxiety about being judged by others. An introvert can be confident and relaxed in company, just tired by a lot of it. An extravert can be shy, wanting company but feeling nervous in it. The two get mixed up because both can look quiet from the outside.
What is an ambivert?
Ambivert is an informal word for someone in the middle of the extraversion scale. On this test, that is a score between the 30th and 70th percentile compared with about 6,800 US adults. Ambiverts like company and like time to themselves, and which they want often depends on the setting, the people and how tired they are.
Is it extravert or extrovert?
Both spellings are correct and mean the same thing. Extrovert is more common in everyday writing, while psychologists often use extravert when they write about the Big Five. This site uses extravert because it matches the name of the trait, extraversion. Either word describes someone who gets energy from people and activity.