Busting Myths and Seeking Truths: A New Look at the Social Preferences of Introverts and Extraverts

“Introverts prefer solitude.” That’s a common view I’ve always had trouble reconciling with my real-life experience.

I’m Introverted, and so are many of my friends, but we sometimes enjoy big social things like nightclubbing and charity fundraisers (or we did, pre-COVID). Maybe Introverts just prefer solitude most of the time? Eh, I’m not even sure that’s right – stereotypes are pretty limiting. For example, I know some Extraverts who sometimes just need to be by themselves. But my personal experience isn’t a complete picture, is it?

Luckily, uncovering statistical information about personality types is a big part of what we do here at 16Personalities. So to investigate how Introversion and Extraversion relate to real-world social preferences, our awesome research team helped me create our “Social Contact” survey. (Go take it to see how you compare!)

Did we bust myths, confirm truths, or at least achieve a better understanding of personality types? Read on to find out – some of the results really opened my eyes.

Hanging Out with Friends

Architect (INTJ).

The Right Amount of Time

advanced resources we offer are effective. It’s also what drives me personally, because I question everything – especially when “everyone knows it’s true.”

Let’s look at one big, final question about the social preferences of Extraverts and Introverts. I’m not saying that I saved the best for last, but this one really surprised me.

What Personality Types Really Want

How to Spot Introversion and Extraversion in the Wild.”

  • Do you find yourself acting differently from your usual preferences in certain situations? That might be a persona kicking in. We explain the difference between personality types and personas.
  • Curious about the social preferences of Introverted, Assertive personalities? Check out “Understanding the Lone Wolf: Confident Individualist Social Habits.”
  • Did you know that our surveys are anonymous, take just a minute or two, and let you compare your results with those of thousands of other people of all personality types? Dive in here.
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