Episode 7. Introversion amidst the Extroversion Ideal

Episode Description

In this solo episode, Hannah takes a closer look at introversion within the extraversion ideal: that we live and work in environments largely built for extroverts – and that this has costs most of us haven’t fully reckoned with.

This episode isn’t self-help for introverts. It’s a critical examination of the extroversion ideal: the cultural and structural assumption, embedded in workplace design and in over a century of research, that extraversion is the gold standard for showing up at work. Hannah walks through what the research actually says about introversion – what it is, what it isn’t, what introverts bring to teams and leadership, what it costs to perform extraversion in environments that demand it, and what organizations and leaders can do.

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Music: “Feel Good (Instrumental Version)” by PØW via Epidemic Sound

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Resources and References

General

Blevins, D. P., Stackhouse, M. R. D., & Dionne, S. D. (2022). Righting the balance: Understanding introverts (and extraverts) in the workplace. International Journal of Management Reviews, 24(1), 78–98. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12268

Balsari-Palsule, S., & Little, B. R. (2020). Quiet strengths: Adaptable introversion in the workplace. In L. A. Schmidt & K. L. Poole (Eds.), Adaptive shyness. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38877-5_10

Bell, S.T. (2007) Deep-level composition variables as predictors of team performance: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 595–615.

Cain, S. (2013). Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking. Crown Publishers.

Denton, D. (2011) Reflection and learning: Characteristics, obstacles, and implications. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 43, 838–852.

Ellis, R. R. (2024, November 3). Introvert personality. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/balance/introvert-personality-overview

Herbert, J., Ferri, L., Hernandez, B., Zamarripa, I., Hofer, K., Fazeli, M. S., Shnitsar, I., & Abdallah, K. (2023). Personality diversity in the workplace: A systematic literature review on introversion. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, 38(2), 165–187. https://doi.org/10.1080/15555240.2023.2192504

Kumari, J. (2025). Embracing the introvert at the workplace. IAHRW International Journal of Social Sciences Review, 13(8), 1857–1863. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17830131

Lechnier, N. J. (2019, February 26). The most interesting research you’ll ever find about introverts. Medium. https://medium.com/@njlechnir/the-most-interesting-research-youll-ever-find-about-introverts-365db160e355

Welch, S. (2008, November 25). Release your inner extravert. Bloomberg Businessweek. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2008-11-25/release-your-inner-extrovert

Wilmot, M. P., Wanberg, C. R., Kammeyer-Mueller, J. D., & Ones, D. S. (2019). Extraversion advantages at work: A quantitative review and synthesis of the meta-analytic evidence. Journal of Applied Psychology, 104(12), 1447–1470. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000415

Zhang, X., Zhou, J., & Kwan, H. K. (2017). Configuring challenge and hindrance contexts for introversion and creativity: Joint effects of task complexity and guanxi management. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 143, 54–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2017.08.003

Leadership

Ames, D. R., & Flynn, F. J. (2007). What breaks a leader: The curvilinear relation between assertiveness and leadership. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(2), 307–324. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.2.307

Bendersky, C., & Shah, N. P. (2013). The downfall of extraverts and rise of neurotics: The dynamic process of status allocation in task groups. Academy of Management Journal, 56(2), 387–406. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2011.0316

Grant, A. M., Gino, F., & Hofmann, D. A. (2011). Reversing the extraverted leadership advantage: The role of employee proactivity. Academy of Management Journal, 54(3), 528–550. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMJ.2011.61968043

Judge, T. A., Woolf, E. F., & Hurst, C. (2009). Is emotional labor more difficult for some than for others? A multilevel, experience-sampling study. Personnel Psychology, 62(1), 57–88. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2008.01129.x

Emotional Regulation and Contra-Trait Behavior

Chi, N. W., Grandey, A., Diamond, J. A., & Krimmel, K. R. (2011). Want a tip? Service performance as a function of emotion regulation and extraversion. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(6), 1337–1346. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023648

Goldberg, L. S., & Grandey, A. A. (2007). Display rules versus display autonomy: Emotion regulation, emotional exhaustion, and task performance in a call center simulation. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 12(3), 301–318. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.12.3.301

Jacques-Hamilton, R., Sun, J., & Smillie, L. D. (2018). Costs and benefits of acting extraverted: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 148(9), 1538–1556. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000516

Organizational Stress

Sonnentag, S., & Frese, M. (2012). Stress in organizations. In N. W. Schmitt & S. Highhouse (Eds.), Handbook of psychology: Vol. 12. Industrial and organizational psychology (2nd ed., pp. 560–592). John Wiley & Sons.

Neuroscience

Cleveland Clinic. (2025, September 29). Prefrontal cortex. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/prefrontal-cortex

Datta, D., & Arnsten, A. F. T. (2019). Loss of prefrontal cortical higher cognition with uncontrollable stress: Molecular mechanisms, changes with age, and relevance to treatment. Brain Sciences, 9(5), 113. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci9050113

Grimm, S., Schubert, F., Jaedke, M., Gallinat, J., & Bajbouj, M. (2012). Prefrontal cortex glutamate and extraversion. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.1093/SCAN/NSR056

Gender bias in medical/scientific research

Koven, S. (2024, October). How Gender Bias in Medicine Has Shaped Women’s Health. Harvard Medicine. https://magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/how-gender-bias-medicine-has-shaped-womens-health

Lippi D, Bianucci R, Donell S. (2020). Gender medicine: its historical roots. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 96(1138), 480-486. https://doi.org/10.1136/postgradmedj-2019-137452

Cleghorn, E. (2021, June 17). Medical Myths About Gender Roles Go Back to Ancient Greece. Women Are Still Paying the Price Today. Time. https://time.com/6074224/gender-medicine-history/