Big Five personality trait
Extraversion and introversion: what high and low scores mean
The short answer: extraversion describes how much energy you get from people, activity and excitement. A high score means extraversion; a low score means introversion. It is one of the five broad traits of the Big Five model of personality.
What extraversion measures
Extraversion combines sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness, a liking for activity and excitement, and a tendency to feel upbeat emotions like enthusiasm. It is about where you get your energy, not about social skill: many introverts are excellent with people, and simply need time alone afterward.
High extraversion: what it looks like
People who score high on extraversion tend to:
- feel energized after a party or a busy day with people
- think out loud and enjoy talking things through
- speak up quickly in groups
- seek out excitement, noise and activity
- get restless when alone for long
Low extraversion (introversion): what it looks like
People who score low on extraversion tend to:
- need quiet time to recharge after socializing
- prefer one-to-one conversations to big groups
- think before they speak
- enjoy calm, focused activities
- keep a smaller circle of close friends
In the middle
Many people sit in the middle, sometimes called ambiverts. They enjoy company and solitude in roughly equal measure, and can lean either way depending on the day and the setting. Our pages on the introvert, the ambivert and the extrovert look at each in more depth, and a 3-minute test shows which you are.
Extraversion in everyday life
At work, extraverts often enjoy roles with lots of contact, such as sales, teaching or management, and open, busy offices. Introverts often do their best work with time to concentrate, and bring careful listening and preparation to meetings.
In friendships and couples, the difference shows in how you like to spend a free evening. Agreeing on a mix of going out and staying in helps both sides feel rested.
Is a high score better?
No. Extraversion brings energy, warmth and ease in groups, but can mean talking more than listening or chasing stimulation. Introversion brings depth, focus and calm, but can mean missing chances to be heard. Both are normal and both are common.
Where do you stand?
Ask yourself:
- After a big social event, do you feel charged up or drained?
- Do you prefer to think things through alone, or talk them through with others?
- In a new group, are you usually among the first to speak?
Your answers give a hint, but scores are relative: what matters is where you stand compared with other people.
Find out where you stand with the free test
Where this comes from
The Big Five model grew out of decades of research into the words people use to describe each other, with major contributions from psychologists Lewis Goldberg, Paul Costa and Robert McCrae. It is the most widely used model of personality in research today. Happy Me's assessment uses public-domain questions from the International Personality Item Pool. It is for education and self-reflection, not a psychological diagnosis.