# What's the evolutionary advantage of introversion?



## teddy564339 (Jun 23, 2010)

Even though it's hard to create a really strong connection between human evolutionary development and the MBTI, I still think it's an interesting topic to think about.

I know that it might be more accurate to look at this from the cognitive function standpoint, since those may be the only things that really developed (rather than the actual preferences). But still, I can think of a reason for all of the preferences to have developed...except for introversion.


Sensing is important to understand the world around someone and to utilize the physical environment. It's also important for stabilization and continuity.

Intuition, on the other hand, is important for the development of society, progression, and the formation of new ideas and improvements.

Thinking is important for logical problem solving. 

Feeling is important to understand others and to form social bonds, helping each other to survive.

Judging is important for organization and stability, making sure jobs are done.

Perceiving is important for improvisation and the ability to adapt to one's environment as new problems arise.


And extroversion is important to help establish social bonds and cooperation among people.




But I don't see what the purpose for introversion is. Why would it have been important for humans to develop a desire to be alone? 

The only thing I can think of is maybe the need for introspection so that new ideas could be developed? Kind of like the idea of intuition vs. sensing....intuitives need to come up with ideas, sensors carry them out. Do introverts also come up with ideas and extroverts carry them out?


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## elixare (Aug 26, 2010)

Someone's gotta do accounting


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## TheOwl (Nov 3, 2010)

Introverts are the people who look before they leap. Extroverts tend to be more "act now, think later." Both ways could be beneficial, depending on the situation.


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## Niccolo Machiavelli (Aug 7, 2011)

Good question! 

First, it doesn't necessarily have to be evolutionarily beneficial itself, it could be tied to something else that is beneficial from an evolutionary point of view. With that said though, I can think of several reasons just off the top of my head why it could be beneficial...

1) You could be less likely to get murdered, robbed, kidnapped, taken as a slave, etc. An extrovert would probably be more likely to be friendly with strangers, who might not have their best interest at heart.

2) You could be more picky with who you spend time with, thus giving you a better chance of picking quality friends who will help you with your evolutionary goals (surviving and reproducing), over a large number of less quality friends or acquaintances. 

3) You could be less likely to do something dumb and get yourself killed than an extroverted type on the slow side who blindly follows orders and does whatever the crowd wants them too, simply because you're not as interested in social dynamics or fitting in. Thinking would also tie in with this, but from a motivational stand point extroverts are more likely to want to be around other people, therefore it would logically follow that they are more likely to want to get along with them, and the dumber ones would definitely do stupid and even dangerous things for the sake of getting along with people.

4) People often mistake quietness for intelligence. If you interact less, it is easier to say only smart things while negating dumb statements. Hence you would appear brighter and that could be beneficial from a mating stand point.

5) It makes you appear aloof, which makes people want you (ie they want what they can't have.).

And so on and so forth. Or another thing to think about, maybe it is beneficial in itself but we don't yet know the "real" reason for it being beneficial. Or perhaps it isn't beneficial to the species but it hasn't been wiped out yet, like bad vision not being overtaken by good vision completely. We are a minority after all.


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## Thinkist (Sep 8, 2011)

In short: introverts value depth in something they do, something extroverts don't appear to have. From the above post, they can also tend to be more slow and careful, even IxxPs.


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## MCRTS (Jul 4, 2011)

Great question, @_teddy564339_ . 

I never thought of any of the functions as benefits, or beneficial. I only thought of them as functions, they're explanations of how I am and why I do the things I do. But I guess there are certain reasons why people develop such functions. I feel that Introversion has gained a lot of flak. People associate it with autism and Western societies tend to prefer Extroversion. I remember one member posted that she commented to a child's parents that he was Introverted, and the parents' reaction was less than satisfactory. Introversion has definitely got a lot of flak, but I do see some benefits to it. 

1) Introverts tend to be better listeners. A lot of people love to talk, but they don't listen enough. They overlook the importance of listening, but without it, a lot of miscommunication occurs. It results in chaos, which could have been avoided, if people just took the time to listen to instructions. Bosses do the most listening, up to 70% of the time. 

2) Introverts are better at solitary tasks, as they don't mind being alone for long periods of time. Art, writing, research and accounting are some solitary tasks which are important. 

3) They are more focused, and they observe more. Most Introverts tend to err on the side of caution. They're less likely to end up in a difficult position because of peer pressure or influence of friends. 

4) Introverts tend to be more introspective and reflective. This is good to have because it allows you to reflect instead of jumping into conclusions and making judgements on peoplee.

5) Introverts are also seen as more trustworthy. Maybe because of their quiet nature, people tend to go to them when they have problems or for advice. This is a good thing, because if your friends trust you with their deepest nature, you would tend to have a long lasting friendship. 

Overall, it's not a bad function to have, but I know many introverts (like myself) wish we were a little more extroverted.


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## marzipan01 (Jun 6, 2010)

Jung said both introversion and extroversion have evolutionary advantages: 

-extroverts reproduce more 

-introverts live longer


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## Mooncutter (Jul 28, 2011)

@teddy564339 *First of all, good summary over the evolutionary advantages* for the other functions as mentioned, in the original post. We can establish that introverts are a lot more common in Scandinavia, hence our "introverted" reputation. I live in Sweden, and it is the same here. Here it is about a 50/50 split between I's and E's. Which is very interesting.

*Scandinavian people are among the (*I would say THE) best people to organize themselves, in the world. It is how we interact, it is not expected to interact with random people you meet, only wierd people do that RIGHT? You join a fishing club, get involved in politics, or do a team sport (we are big on sports). 

*My conclusion is that introversion is, *has been, more beneficial here in Sweden than in America, for example. People living in northern Sweden, deep in the woods with like 1 kilometer to nearest neighbour are almost ALWAYS introverts. They have reputation even in Sweden. Half my familly live up there so I've been there and know first-hand. They are experts at hanging out while being completely quiet =)

Now, advantages for being an introvert:

a) *More depth* (good & bad, generally considered good by mainstream culture)
b) *Decisions more carefully made* (can be good and bad as decisions are easily put off and time could be spent eslewhere actually DOING something)
c) *Higher ability to change one's personality* and relationship to the world through willpower (arrives from depth and introspection)

d) *Ability to do lonely jobs and even like some of them.* There are some jobs that are very lonely that no one, not even introverts, like to do. But only introverts have the ABILITY to do them and NOT go insane. Which is advantageous. Make a lot of money. Some positions in the oil-field fit that category. 

*I think accounting as mentioned above.* Or wielding a pipe 6 months straight underground out in nowhere. Live in a tent with a radio without internet or even cellphone connection. Like deep in the forest where only bears walked before you.

e) *Ability to survive in dangerous environments.* The survival value comes from NOT angering the wrong people, NOT doing stupid shit, NOT hanging out with the wrong people. An introvert will have fewer and perhaps more solid connections to the friends they DO have.

*On the other side, sometimes it is better to get input *on a problem from large social circle than reading abook about it, for example. A large social circle has immense amount of collective wisdom. 

*But extroverts gain great survival value *form just "knowing everyone", also. What you DO know you don't fear. They do not have the fear of the unknown working against them, so to speak.

f)* Introverts read more, are more prone to higher education and are more stimulated by studying,* just because they are introverts. Points mentioned do not HAVE to be advantegous, but generally are.


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## Stephen (Jan 17, 2011)

Mooncutter said:


> We can establish that introverts are a lot more common in Scandinavia, hence our "introverted" reputation. I live in Sweden, and it is the same here. Here it is about a 50/50 split between I's and E's. Which is very interesting.


Do you have a source to share that states that more Swedes are introverted MBTI types than the world average? The document I found says it's about 75% extroverted types and 25% introverted. It was a small sample, less than 300 people, but it's pretty far off from what you're claiming.

http://www.ashridge.org.uk/website/ic.nsf/wFARATT/MBTI%20Research%20into%20Distribution%20of%20Type/$file/MyersBriggs.pdf



> a) *More depth* (good & bad, generally considered good by mainstream culture)


Extroverts are shallow? This has not been my experience.



> b) *Decisions more carefully made* (can be good and bad as decisions are easily put off and time could be spent eslewhere actually DOING something)


Extroverts are careless? I/E is about where we get our energy, not attention to detail.



> c) *Higher ability to change one's personality* and relationship to the world through willpower (arrives from depth and introspection)


I don't believe MBTI types change, ever, for anyone. I'd be interested to hear anything that claims otherwise. I also still don't accept that type correlates with depth.



> d) *Ability to do lonely jobs and even like some of them.* There are some jobs that are very lonely that no one, not even introverts, like to do. But only introverts have the ABILITY to do them and NOT go insane. Which is advantageous. Make a lot of money. Some positions in the oil-field fit that category.


This is actually a stereotype I hear a lot about ISTJs. It does kind of fit me.  I don't know about other introverted types, or even ISTJs as a whole.



> *I think accounting as mentioned above.* Or wielding a pipe 6 months straight underground out in nowhere. Live in a tent with a radio without internet or even cellphone connection. Like deep in the forest where only bears walked before you.


Sign me up. For the accounting, not the bears. They're big and scary, and all I'll have is an adding machine.



> e) *Ability to survive in dangerous environments.* The survival value comes from NOT angering the wrong people, NOT doing stupid shit, NOT hanging out with the wrong people. An introvert will have fewer and perhaps more solid connections to the friends they DO have.


I totally disagree. An extrovert is generally going to be more inclined to interact socially with others more often because it is naturally where they draw their energy, whereas I need to expend it to be social. I enjoy myself, but particularly in large groups, I get overwhelmed. I am very close to the few people I'm close to at all, this is true, but I think this is an enneagram six trait more than an introvert trait. I think if I were an ENFP 6, I would have more friends, and I'd be closer to them.

I'd sooner accept the argument that F types are more social than T types, and even that I'd need caveats for.



> *On the other side, sometimes it is better to get input *on a problem from large social circle than reading abook about it, for example. A large social circle has immense amount of collective wisdom.
> 
> *But extroverts gain great survival value *form just "knowing everyone", also. What you DO know you don't fear. They do not have the fear of the unknown working against them, so to speak.


I agree with these. Fear is subjective, but I think this is fair.



> f)* Introverts read more, are more prone to higher education and are more stimulated by studying,* just because they are introverts. Points mentioned do not HAVE to be advantegous, but generally are.


I disagree. I don't accept that I/E dichotomies relate to reading and education... or intelligence for that matter. I don't read nearly as much as several of the extroverts I know.


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## Mooncutter (Jul 28, 2011)

@Stephen

a) *Extroverts are more "shallow". *Although the word itself carry a negative connotation, it's true. Their energy is turned outwards, not inwards. They need input from environment to be stimulated. we need input from ourselves to be stimulated.

b) *Extroverts are more prone to action*

c) *You can change your personality *without changing MBTI type. I too, do not think MBTI ever change. Only change that happens is that the weak auxiliary processess gets stronger with age.

f) *The statistics in Gifts Differing by Isabel Myers* show being introvert is advantegous in the school system. The differene wasn't large in normal schools, still there though. The difference became large when looking at the top 1% of student population.

Is it not your impression introverts read more than extroverts? =)


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## lib (Sep 18, 2010)

For a caveman it must have been an advantage to be introverted as much of his work was to go hunting and the need to talk continuously would have chased away the animals and even though hunting big animals would require a group of men they would still be alone to each of them to be efficient.
Cavewomen, on the other hand, would have an advantage in being extroverted of the reasons mentioned in OP - to establish social bonds and being extroverted would also contribute to the drive to have many children and thus not be alone.


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## Thinkist (Sep 8, 2011)

MCRTS said:


> I feel that Introversion has gained a lot of flak. People associate it with autism and Western societies tend to prefer Extroversion. I remember one member posted that she commented to a child's parents that he was Introverted, and the parents' reaction was less than satisfactory. Introversion has definitely got a lot of flak, but I do see some benefits to it.


Good luck finding an autistic extrovert. I seriously doubt you'll find any (unless they're 1% extroverted).

Now for another question: why is it western society seems to have a hard time accepting introversion? Three extroverts for every introvert sounds insane, and in a more ideal world, there would be about as many extroverts as there are introverts. Could it be evolutionary or genetic?


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## MCRTS (Jul 4, 2011)

Thinkist said:


> Good luck finding an autistic extrovert. I seriously doubt you'll find any (unless they're 1% extroverted).


I have a distant cousin who has autism, but he's quite extroverted. If people were to place the both of us in the same room, 99% would pick _me _as the autistic one. Of course, that's just based on superficial traits. 



> Now for another question: why is it western society seems to have a hard time accepting introversion? Three extroverts for every introvert sounds insane, and in a more ideal world, there would be about as many extroverts as there are introverts. Could it be evolutionary or genetic?


Seems to me like it's more acceptable in a Western society to be outgoing and open.


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