The science of extroverts vs introverts
A study from the University of California asked 131 people to alter their behaviour to either include more extroverted, or more introverted traits—one week of each. For the extroverted week, the participants were encouraged to act as “talkative”, “assertive”, and “spontaneous”, as possible; and for the introverted week, they tried to act more “deliberate”, “quiet”, and “reserved”.
Throughout the study, participants reported how they were feeling, both positively and negatively. Compared with the emotions they felt on a general basis, they felt more positive emotions during the extroverted week, and experienced fewer positive emotions in the introverted week.
Specifically, feelings of connection and the act of being fully immersed in an activity were boosted when they were acting extroverted, and reduced when they were displaying introverted traits.
But, both introverted and extroverted weeks resulted in a reduction in negative emotions, compared to their normal levels. Interesting… So, perhaps that means that any change in behaviour could reduce negativity?