Sometimes social, sometimes solitary, ambiverts often make good sales people
Psychologists studyingpersonality have long looked at the extreme traits of extroverts and
introverts. Now they are focusing on the ambiverts in the middle.
Photo:
Dave Whamond
exercising and working. When he goes out for dinner or drinks with
friends, he sometimes quietly observes people’s facial expressions and
body language. Often when he’s shopping or running errands, he ignores
people he knows—pretending he doesn’t see them—to avoid small talk.
Still,
the 27-year-old dance instructor who lives in Glendale Calif.,
considers himself friendly and meets new people almost everywhere—at the
gym, at Starbucks,
waiting to board a plane. At parties, Mr. Bernando is often the guy
who starts a dance circle and then shows off his break-dancing moves.
Is Mr. Bernardo an introvert or an extrovert?
He is an ambivert, a solid mix of both.
The
personality traits of extroversion and introversion fall on a spectrum,
and most of experts’ focus has been on the two ends. Now, social
psychologists, behavioral scientists and business experts are taking a
closer look at the overlooked category smack in the
middle—ambiversion—and deciding that people with this trait may have
some personal and professional advantages for being adaptable.
Experts
believe that the personality traits on the introvert-extrovert spectrum
remain stable throughout life—they appear as early as infanthood and
are difficult to change. On one end are extroverts (sometimes spelled
“extravert” in psychology circles) who become energized externally. They
love to have lots of people around them and to be the center of
attention. They enjoy brainstorming with others and often form their
thoughts as they speak. When by themselves, they easily become bored or
restless.
Introverts, on the other end of the spectrum, become
energized internally. They prefer to spend time alone, with one other
person or with a small group. They feel drained by a lot of social
interaction or a crowd. They gather their thoughts carefully before they
speak.
Personality Types 101
Speaker, author and coach Beth Buelow describes typical behaviors.- The Ambivert
- Socially flexible—comfortable in social situations or being alone.
- Skilled at communicating—intuits when to listen or to talk.
- Moderate in mood—not overly expressive or reserved.
- Adaptable—no default mode, so they change their approach to fit the situation
- The Extrovert:
- Energized by external stimulation—with people, environment, activity
- Processes thoughts while talking
- Motivated by external rewards, recognition and feedback
- Outgoing—easy to get to know
- The Introvert:
- Energized internally, while being alone
- Craves solitude to balance out social time
- Speaks only when they have something to say
- Thinks before speaking, processing thoughts internally
is dominant. As a result, they have more balanced, or nuanced,
personalities. They aren’t the folks yammering your ear off. Nor are
they the totally silent ones happily ensconced in the corner.
Ambiverts
move between being social or being solitary, speaking up or listening
carefully with greater ease than either extroverts or introverts. “It is
like they’re bilingual,” says Daniel Pink, a business book author and
host of Crowd Control, a TV series on human behavior, who has studied
ambiversion. “They have a wider range of skills and can connect with a
wider range of people in the same way someone who speaks English and
Spanish can.”
You can tell if you’re an ambivert by asking
yourself how you’d behave in common situations. What do you crave after a
long day at work when you need to refuel—a happy hour with friends, or
your couch and the remote control? At a social event, at what point do
you want to leave—as soon as you get there or after the last person has
left? In a conversation, do you prefer to think through your answers
before speaking, or throw out whatever idea comes to mind and bat it
back and forth? (Mr. Pink, the author of “To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others,” has developed a quiz.)
If you’re an ambivert, your preference will often be somewhere in the
middle—you choose to have a drink with a friend after work but then
afterward go home and take a long walk with the dog.
A study of
ambiverts, published in June 2013 in the journal Psychological Science,
looked at 340 outbound call-center representatives. It showed that the
social and emotional flexibility of the ambiverts in the group made them
superior sales people. The participants filled out a 20-measure
personality test, then the researcher assessed each person’s sales
revenue for the next three months, controlling for other variables. The
employees with the highest revenue per hour—an average of $208, compared
with $138 for the full sample—were ambiverts who had a personality test
score exactly between extroversion and introversion.
“Ambiverts are like Goldilocks—they offer neither too much nor too little,” says Adam Grant,
an organizational psychologist and professor of psychology at the
University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He believes this emotional
acuity gives ambiverts unique skills in parenting and marriage as well.
The
drawback to being an ambivert, Dr. Grant says, is that it can sometimes
be difficult for them to know which side of their personality to lead
with in a given situation. Unlike extroverts and introverts, who tend to
know what energizes them, ambiverts may not always be so sure. That
means they can sometimes get stuck—not realizing that they need to
change their approach to feel more motivated.
Carl Jung
popularized the concepts of extroversion and introversion in the early
1920s; he identified a third group but didn’t name it or write much
about it. It wasn’t till the 1940s that the term “ambivert” began to be
commonly used by psychologists.
Ambiversion has gotten more
attention in recent years, as books, TEDx talks and consulting firms
have sprung up focusing on introversion and how personality traits
impact people’s behaviors in marriages, families and work. More than
half the population is ambiverted, according to Wharton’s Dr. Grant. His
research shows that roughly two-thirds of people are ambiverts, while
one-third are either strong introverts or strong extroverts.
“An introvert and an extrovert know pretty quickly what they crave,” says Laurie Helgoe,
author of “Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life is Your Hidden
Strength” and assistant professor in the department of psychology and
human services at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, W.Va. She says
introverts generally want to pull away from stimulation or interaction
and regroup, while extroverts want to seek out people and activity.
Ambiverts could go either way, based on the situation, she says.
If
you’re an ambivert, be mindful of it, says Dr. Helgoe. “If you are
aware that you can go both ways, then you can look at a situation and
see what behaviors are going to be most effective and rewarding.”
Think
of “introvert” and “extrovert” as verbs, says Beth Buelow, a speaker
and coach who is founder of The Introvert Entrepreneur, a website for
introverts. “You can choose to introvert (turn inward) or extrovert
(project outward) depending on what’s called for.”
Wharton’s Dr.
Grant cautions that ambiverts should try not to get stuck in either an
introvert or extrovert role. Ambiverts should remain nimble. Also,
sticking with one or the other tendency too long might leave an ambivert
drained. The warning signs will be boredom or burnout.
Dr.
Grant recommends “unleashing your inner ambivert.” “Read each situation
more carefully,” he says, “and ask yourself, ‘What do I need to do right
now to be most happy or successful?’”
Write to Elizabeth Bernstein at elizabeth.bernstein@wsj.comor follow her on Twitter and Facebook at EBernsteinWSJ.
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