Top 10 advantages of being an extraverted person
These are the main advantages that those who are more extraverted tend to enjoy.
Within the different personality types, one of the most characteristic traits of each individual is introversion or extraversion.
We are going to focus on the second of them to discover which are the factors of this condition that are more beneficial for the person, at different levels. For this we will have different examples of advantages of being an extraverted person that will help to visualize all these phenomena.
What is the personality trait of extraversion?
In order to list the advantages of being an extraverted person, we must first make a brief theoretical introduction to properly understand what exactly extraversion is. It is a psychological concept introduced by the psychoanalyst Carl Jung and that later has continued to be used as a personality trait. has continued to be used as a personality trait in different models, such as the PEN model or the Big Five model..
Extraversion corresponds to a sociable character. Extraverted people enjoy spending time with others, are very talkative and show a lot of energy. In contrast, introverted individuals prefer to spend more time alone or in the company of very specific people and tend to be much quieter and more reflective than others.
Surely, when reading the title of advantages of being an extraverted person, many readers will have had a common linguistic doubt, since it is common to find the term extrovert instead. So what is the proper terminology? The truth is that both terms are accepted, although the most widespread would be extroversion, but the original form, and therefore the cultured one, is extraversion, since it uses the Latin prefix extra.
It is important to bear in mind that, when we speak of personality traits, it does not mean that a person is totally extraverted or totally introverted, because it is a continuous scale in which one of the two conditions will usually predominate, without this meaning that traits of the other pole are not manifested..
It may even be the case of an ambiverted person, who will therefore show signs of extraversion or introversion depending on the situation in which he/she finds him/herself, without either of the two extremes predominating.
Advantages and benefits of being an extraverted person
Now that we know what extraversion means, we can start talking about the main advantages of being an extraverted person. Let's start with them.
1. It is a predictor of well-being
Probably the most important advantage when we talk about extraversion is that this trait is an indicator of well-being in the individual. According to the 2019 study by Jeromy Anglim and his collaborators, people who score high on the extraversion trait are the best predictors of a person's well-being.
This statement allows us to anticipate that an individual who especially enjoys social situations and other conditions characteristic of extraversion will probably feel somewhat happier than people who do not have this trait. Logically, all these questions are treated in statistical terms, so there will be particular cases of all kinds..
2. Confidence
Another advantage of being an extraverted person is the confidence that such people have in themselves. These individuals tend to be daring and have less difficulty in facing situations that take them out of their comfort zone.. Because of their condition, they need constant stimulation, which leads them to seek new experiences.
Therefore, when faced with a challenge, subjects with extraversion have a slight advantage over the rest, as they are less worried about the results and more confident about being able to face the challenge, which increases the probability of success, as they are not blocked by indecision or pessimistic predictions.
3. Leadership
It has also been proven that extraversion correlates with qualities such as leadership. This makes sense, since sociability and dominance are common characteristics of people who score high on extraversion, and these properties are also some of the characteristics of people who score high on extraversion.and these properties are also some of the most common in people who perceive themselves as leaders.
Extraverted subjects will tend to seek affirmation when in social situations, which corresponds to leadership characteristics. In the face of conflict, they tend to be more likely to state their vision, offering a course of action that will lead the team to success.
4. Promotion
Continuing with the advantages of being an extraverted person and, in line with the previous point, the probability of getting a job promotion is higher for these individuals. This issue is based on the fact that they are perceived as leaders, have the confidence to seek new challenges, and are more likely to be promoted. confidence to seek new challenges and also the visibility that these individuals generate, as opposed to introverted people, who prefer to go unnoticed..
Thanks to these qualities, extraverted individuals are more likely to reach positions of greater responsibility. It is a different matter how well they perform in those positions, but the path to reach those positions will be easier than for other people, who may encounter more difficulties.
5. Speed
Speed is another advantage of being an extraverted person. Obviously, it does not mean that these individuals are faster. This characteristic refers to the speed of action and thinking. Extraverted individuals are at ease with new situations, which provide them with the variety of stimuli they seek..
Therefore, when faced with an unforeseen event, instead of paralyzing or collapsing, they are more likely to make a quick analysis that allows them to make a decision in a short time and act on the inconvenience they have encountered on their way. The decision taken may be more or less effective, but the time invested in taking it will have been less than that of other people.
6. Speakers
If we talk about the advantages of being an extraverted person, we cannot forget that they are usually excellent speakers, a quality highly appreciated in certain sectors. It seems logical to think that, a subject who loves to be in situations shared with other people and even to be the focus of attention, will feel comfortable speaking in front of an audience..
It will even be a challenge and an extra motivation if the speech in question is of special relevance, is made in front of people who represent an authority in some sense or is being evaluated. Such situations will provide additional stimulation that will give you the new sensations you need.
7. Persuasion
In line with the previous advantage, we could affirm that extraverted people not only like to talk and are good at it, but this makes them individuals with a high power of persuasion, another of the characteristics of leaders, a quality we saw earlier.
These individuals enjoy talking but also convincing. For this reason, they are especially skilled in commercial tasks, as they are not afraid of facing "no" and will always find a way to counter-argue to achieve their objectives and change the interlocutor's mind.
8. Stronger immune system
One of the most curious advantages of being an extraverted person, since it does not have to do with psychological factors, is that they they have a stronger immune system, as studies such as the one by Kavita Vedhara, in 2015, seem to show.. The explanation is not entirely clear, since a priori one might think that, precisely because of their greater degree of exposure, they might tend to contract diseases more easily.
But perhaps it is precisely this overexposure to the environment that has allowed the immune system of these individuals to become strong enough to show a lower degree of infections than the rest of the subjects.
9. Social circle
Evidently, among the advantages of being an extraverted person we also find the logical consequence of having a wider social circle. having a wider social circle. By their very nature, these individuals will tend to make friends easily and to increase the number of people they trust.
However, it is important to keep in mind that introverts, although they tend to relate to fewer people, will be able to count on people they trust more intimately, even if they are not so abundant. These subjects will prefer a smaller circle but with high quality relationships.
10. Radiators of energy
To close the list of the advantages of being an extraverted person, we cannot forget that these individuals tend to be real radiators of energy for others.. With their energy, enthusiasm and leadership, they can somehow infect other less proactive people, who thanks to them will embark on projects and situations with which they probably would not have dared if they had not had that extra boost.
Bibliographical references:
- Lukaszewski, A.W. (2021). Evolutionary perspectives on the mechanistic underpinnings of personality. The handbook of personality dynamics and processes. Elsevier.
- Anglim, J., Horwood, S., Smillie, L.D., Marrero, R.J., Wood, J.K. (2020). Predicting psychological and subjective well-being from personality: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin.
- Vedhara, K., Gill, S., Eldesouky, L., Campbell, B., Arevalo, J., Ma, J., Cole, S. (2015). Personality and gene expression: Do individual differences exist in the leukocyte transcriptome? Psychoneuroendocrinology. Elsevier.
(Updated at Apr 14 / 2024)