Introversion and extroversion, like autism or even sexuality, exist on a spectrum. But there’s an overwhelming amount of research that shows behaving in an extraverted way—i.e., engaging in social situations with your peers—brings feelings of pleasure and happiness, even just for the moment. Researchers from Carleton University’s Happiness Laboratory in Ottawa, Canada conducted five distinct studies to find out why then, if acting as an extravert makes us happy, don’t introverted people partake in all the fun? Researchers put participants through a series of moderate social interactions while measuring their anticipation of the events as well as their reactions post-experiment and found that introverts tend to significantly overestimate the potential negative emotions and outcomes associated with an impending situation. “The error is more apparent in magnitude than direction,” says John Zelenski, PhD, a researcher on the study and associate professor of psychology at the university. “Introverts weren’t as confused about whether staying in or attending a social event would be more fun, but rather how much more fun it would be.” More From Prevention: Speaking Up About Introverts Zelenski says that extroversion as a trait is a pretty good predictor of happiness. Susan Cain, author of the New York Times Best Seller Quiet: The Power of Introverts In A World That Can’t Stop Talking admits some introverts focus (“maybe more than they should”) on the anxieties of social situations, but believes there are other pleasures in life outside of extraverted behavior that make us happy—they’re just harder to quantify. Introverts innately find pleasure in activities that put them in a state of flow, like reading, diving into a creative project, and even swimming, during which you “navigate the channels between boredom and anxiety, so that you’re not thinking about yourself at all,” she says. Not to say introverts aren’t social—the desire for warmth and intimacy is there, she says, just through deeper social connections. What might hold some back is the tradeoff of pleasure and energy expense. “Introverts might reap the benefits and happiness from a situation, but if they’re doing too much the pleasure is outweighed by it being a resource on their sense of energy.” Where do you stand on the debate? A good place to start is to find out where you sit on the spectrum (Cain’s quiz can help with that). Regardless of the outcome, partaking in some extraverted activity can give your mood a quick boost. And don’t worry about acting in a particular way, says Zelenski. “You’ll naturally feed off the energy just by being in the room,” he says. All you have to do is get yourself there. More from Prevention: Do You Have a Longevity Personality?
