ARTICLE
9 Signs That You’re An Ambivert
By Travis Bradberry, Ph.D. Think of introversion and extroversion as a spectrum,
with ambiversion lying somewhere in the middle:
I’m sure you’ve been asked many times whether you’re
an introvert or an extrovert. For some people, it’s an easy
choice, but for most of us, it’s difficult to choose one way
or the other.
It’s hard to choose because the introvert/extrovert
dichotomy reflects a tired and outdated view of
personality. Personality traits exist along a continuum,
and the vast majority of us aren’t introverts or extroverts
Ambiverts have a distinct advantage over true introverts
— we fall somewhere in the middle.
and extroverts. Because their personality doesn’t lean too
heavily in either direction, they have a much easier time
Personality consists of a stable set of preferences and
adjusting their approach to people based on the situation.
tendencies through which we approach the world.
This enables them to connect more easily, and more
Personality traits form at an early age and are fixed by
deeply, with a wider variety of people.
early adulthood. Many important things about you change
over the course of your lifetime, but your personality isn’t
Grant’s research also disproved the powerful and widely
one of them.
held notion that the best-performing salespeople are
extroverts. He found that ambiverts’ greater social
"Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith
flexibility enabled them to outsell all other groups, moving
in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful
51 percent more product per hour than the average
personality and duplicate it." --Bruce Lee
salesperson. Notice how sales increased as extroversion
The continuum between introversion and extroversion increased, peaking with those who were just moderately
captures one of the most important personality traits. It’s extroverted.
troubling that we’re encouraged to categorize ourselves
one way or the other because there are critical strengths
and weaknesses commonly associated with each type.
Adam Grant at Wharton set out to study this phenomenon,
and his findings are fascinating. First, he found that two-
thirds of people don’t strongly identify as introverts or
extroverts. These people (aka, the vast majority of us)
are called ambiverts, who have both introverted and
extroverted tendencies. The direction ambiverts lean
toward varies greatly, depending on the situation.
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ARTICLE
9 Signs That You’re An Ambivert
Grant explained the finding this way: 1. I can perform tasks alone or in a group. I don’t have
much preference either way.
"Because they naturally engage in a flexible
pattern of talking and listening, ambiverts are 2. Social settings don’t make me uncomfortable, but I
likely to express sufficient assertiveness and tire of being around people too much.
enthusiasm to persuade and close a sale, but are
3. Being the center of attention is fun for me, but I
more inclined to listen to customers’ interests
don’t like it to last.
and less vulnerable to appearing too excited or
overconfident." 4. Some people think I’m quiet, while others think
I’m highly social.
How Ambiversion Works in the Brain
5. I don’t always need to be moving, but too much
How social you are is largely driven by dopamine, the down time leaves me feeling bored.
brain’s feel-good hormone. We all have different levels
of dopamine-fueled stimulation in the neocortex (the 6. I can get lost in my own thoughts just as easily as I
area of the brain that is responsible for higher mental can lose myself in a conversation.
functions such as language and conscious thought).
7. Small talk doesn’t make me uncomfortable, but it
Those who naturally have high levels of stimulation
does get boring.
tend to be introverts — they try and avoid any extra
social stimulation that might make them feel anxious or 8. When it comes to trusting other people, sometimes
overwhelmed. Those with low levels of stimulation tend I’m skeptical, and other times, I dive right in.
to be extroverts. Under-stimulation leaves extroverts
feeling bored, so they seek social stimulation to feel good. 9. If I spend too much time alone, I get bored, yet
too much time around other people leaves me feeling
Most people’s levels of natural stimulation don’t reach drained.
great extremes, though it does fluctuate. Sometimes you
may feel the need to seek out stimulation, while other The trick to being an ambivert is knowing when to
times, you may avoid it. force yourself to lean toward one side of the spectrum
when it isn’t happening naturally. Ambiverts with low
Finding Out Whether You’re An Ambivert self-awareness struggle with this. For example, at a
networking event, a self-aware ambivert will lean toward
It’s important to pin down where you fall in the the extroverted side of the scale, even when it has been
introversion/extroversion scale. By increasing your a long day and he or she has had enough of people.
awareness of your type, you can develop a better sense of Mismatching your approach to the situation can be
your tendencies and play to your strengths. frustrating, ineffective, and demoralizing for ambiverts.
If you think that you might be an ambivert, but aren’t
certain, see how many of the following statements apply
Bringing It All Together
to you. If most of them apply, you’re most likely an TalentSmart has conducted research with over a million
ambivert. people and found that those in the upper echelon of
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ARTICLE
9 Signs That You’re An Ambivert
performance at work also tend to be highly self-aware (90 ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
percent of them, in fact). By gaining a better sense of where
you fall on the introversion/extroversion scale, you can
Travis Bradberry, Ph.D.
build insight into your tendencies and preferences, which Dr. Travis Bradberry is the award-winning coauthor
increases your self-awareness and emotional intelligence. of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and the cofounder of
This will help you improve your performance. TalentSmart® the world’s leading provider of emotional
intelligence tests and training serving more than 75% of
Fortune 500 companies. His bestselling books have been
translated into 25 languages and are available in more
than 150 countries.
Dr. Bradberry is a LinkedIn Influencer and a regular
contributor to Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, The World
Economic Forum, and The Huffington Post. He has
written for, or been covered by, Newsweek, BusinessWeek,
Fortune, Fast Company, USA Today, The Wall Street
Journal, The Washington Post, and The Harvard
Business Review.
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