Abby Simon

Period 2
10/6/16
Research Paper
In our society, there is a divide in who people interact with and how they do it. Some
people actively seek contact with many friends for long periods of time while others will seek
time alone. The people who gain energy from social interactions are called extroverts, while the
opposite side of the spectrum has people called introverts. It is generally more acceptable to be
an extrovert in the American society, as they are seen as the charming, go-getters who have
many friends and are on their way to be successful in life. Introverts can be seen as shy, rude,
reclusive, and sometimes even socially inept. By researching the facts on how introverts and
extroverts handle different life situations such as being a salesperson, for example, we can see if
extroverts truly are superior, or if introverts have been a hidden gem all this time.
Going back to the example of salespeople, when you think of a typical sales person, it is
usually an outgoing and happy go lucky person that is expected to sell the most amount of
products effectively. Since this job involves talking with many customers, extroverts would seem
to be the best fit for this job. However, this may not be the case, as studies that have been done
on salespeople show that extroverts may actually be hurting sales more so than helping. This is
due to the fact that since many extroverts like to speak their thoughts out loud, the potential
customer has less of a chance to give their input and get their questions answered, which may
leave them frustrated and put off by the product. For this aspect, introverts are better because
they listen and are more in tune with what the customer has to say and how they feel (Nobel,
Carmen). But in the end, people who are ambiverted are the best picks for the job (ambiversion
is a more even balance between the two personality traits), since they have both of the qualities
needed to be successful in sales (Grant, Adam M.).

Abby Simon
Period 2
10/6/16
Research Paper
Working in groups may also affect how successful introverts and extroverts are in
school/work. Working in a group may seem like the best way to get the most ideas out there and
to pick the best option from multiple opinions. But groups are usually led by the loudest voice(s),
and they are usually the ones whose ideas get chosen simply because the most people heard their
idea. Because of this instance, the best idea that could have come about is not chosen, showing
that groups have their flaws. While introverts may not thrive as well in a group setting, they can
do an excellent job thinking of ideas working alone (Cain, Susan). Introverts can work just as
well as extroverts, they just both need to have the proper environment to work in. That is not to
say that the two types of personalities can not work together, rather the opposite can have very
positive effects. Having team leaders and members of a group be too similar in how they think
and feel can make them stuck in a bad spot and they may not get much accomplished. However,
if there are both introverts and extroverts working together, such as an introverted leader and
some extroverted team members, a nice even balance can help them to reach a better conclusion
to any problem or solution facing them (Grant, Francesca, and D.A. Hoffman).
In the previous example used, it was mentioned that an introvert was a leader. This seems
unlikely, as part of being a leader is guiding the team members and speaking to many people all
the time. But there is so much more to being a good leader than just the social aspect. Many of
the most successful CEOs are introverts, mainly because introversion is sometimes linked to
being analytical as well, an important trait for a position such as this one. And yes, being a CEO
does mean they have to talk and interact with many people of all sorts. Just because someone is
an introvert does not mean they are able to step out of their comfort zone and are able to act
extroverted for a little while (Kello, John). Being a person who prefers spending more time in

Abby Simon
Period 2
10/6/16
Research Paper
solitude does not mean that they are shy or socially awkward, it is just a matter of preference
(Cain, Susan).
After going through these facts, it has been shown that while introverts are not always best
suited for the work environments set up by our American society, if given the best fit for them,
they can be just as successful or even more so than extroverts can be. This can be said for
extroverts as well, so this mostly shows that all in all, introverts and extroverts are both equally
good. They just have their own strengths and weaknesses depending on the situation at hand.
Being an extrovert does not make you better than anyone else, and being an introvert does not
make you a worse human being and vice versa. If our society was set up for both different types
of personalities, then the world could be so much better and many more accomplishments may
have been reached.

Works Cited

Cain, Susan. "The Rise of the New Groupthink.." New York Times 13 (2012)
.
Grant, Adam M., Francesca Gino, and D. A. Hoffman. "The hidden advantages of quiet bosses."
(2010).

Abby Simon
Period 2
10/6/16
Research Paper
Grant, Adam M. "Rethinking the Extraverted Sales Ideal The Ambivert Advantage."
Psychological Science 24.6 (2013): 1024-1030.

Kello, John. "Can introverts take the lead?." Industrial Safety & Hygiene News 46.10 (2012):
28-30.

Nobel, Carmen. "Introverts: The best leaders for proactive employees." Harvard Business School
Working Knowledge (2010): 1-2.