So Really – How Many Introverts Are There?
photo: FaceMePLS
My friend Patricia brought up an interesting twist to the “how many introverts are there?” question in her comment on my last post. Most of the information out there places introverts at anywhere between 20% to 35% of the human population. I tend to agree with this. For about every 10 people I know, probably two or three tend towards being introverted while the other seven or eight are happily extroverted.
But Patricia tells me that there are other sources that place the population of introverts in the US at over 50%. She and I both question this. I don’t think that in the US there is that large of a population of introverts, but I could be wrong. Still, over 50% seems pretty hopeful.
I do believe that there are “closet introverts” that prefer not to self-identify as being introverted. But my reluctance to believe that we have a fairly high population of introverts in the US, or in most parts of the world is based on a few things:
The majority of research presented (both scientific and less than scientific) asserts that the introvert population is somewhere around 25% – 35%. Now, believe me, I’m not one to blindly follow what I’m being told – I believe in questioning everything, and I’ve questioned this myself, just as part of standard operating procedure.
In my own world, I’ve looked at random groups that I’ve been a part of – my family, my family of in-laws, the group of couples that my husband and I occasionally have dinner with, work groups from former jobs, and I’ve counted, and consistently come up with a figure that hovers around 30% for introverts in any given group. Admittedly, this isn’t scientific, but it’s pretty accurate because I know these people – I know which ones are the closet introverts, which are definite extroverts, which are “out” introverts, and which might be hovering towards the middle of the introvert-extrovert continuum. When I count the people in the middle as probable introverts, that’s when I start getting to maybe 40%. Maybe.
Next, I’ve taken this into consideration: As an openly introverted person who blogs and writes about all things introverted, of all the people I’ve met and talked to about being introverted or extroverted, not one has said, “Gee, I think I’m really an introvert, but I don’t really want anyone else to know that”. People will tell me which side they fall on. And I still end up meeting more extroverts
Finally, when you’ve immersed yourself in the world of introversion, introverted people, introverted blogging, introverted surveys, and all things introverted, you begin to be able to notice certain tell-tale signs of introversion – even in closet introverts and people who don’t know they’re introverted (you bet, there are some), which by the way, I’m going to assert right now is a decent-sized portion of the say 30% (or whatever percent) of introverted people in the world. So, even taking closet introverts into account, and then adding some for good measure, I think we’re still in the minority.
What’s all of this mean? I don’t know. It’s just more information, and it’s my own. It’s possible that I could be totally and completely wrong about this.
It’s neither an honor nor a shame to be in the minority, if that’s what we are. It’s just what it is. Scientific minds tell us that there is a strong genetic link to being introverted or extroverted. But I’ve seen no actual research that tells us that the gene or gene sequence that makes a person introverted or extroverted has been found. The best evidence of this has come from twin studies that have been conducted over the years and also brain scans that show that the introvert and extrovert brain prefers to use different paths and neurotransmitters for processing information (which indicates a biological link, if not a genetic one).
Theorists are saying that in the animal world introversion and extroversion are also expressed at about a 1:3 ratio (extroverts are the 3).
But let’s wonder for a moment: If I’m wrong, and the majority of the research is wrong, if introverts are indeed in the majority in the US, what does that mean? Well, for one thing it means that we (introverts) are so quiet, and so unable to pull ourselves together as a group, that we still feel that it’s acceptable to feel misunderstood, misjudged and pressured by a louder, more boisterous minority. What?
This post is getting fairly lengthy and this discussion could go on for a very long time. I’m hoping to create a separate page where I’ll be able to post the information I’ve found in my travels that leads me and most others to think that introversion is a less prevalent personality trait than extroversion. If evidence is found to the contrary, I’ll be happy to retract everything I’ve just written.
But let me ask some final questions. If we ended up being in the majority, would that change the way you feel about being an introvert? Would it make your life better or different? Would you suddenly feel vindicated? Just some things to ponder…..
Thanks for reading! I’ve just started a Facebook group: “Living Introverted” and I’m the sole member – maybe you’d like to join?
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Hi Lee Ann,
I would go along with the 25-30% figure most studies show for introversion vs extroversion based on my experiences. While I suppose it could be that there are “closet introverts” who skew the statistics, I doubt they are out in great numbers.
I work a great deal with people in a variety of settings and while I am comfortable for the most part being around people, I would be surprised if someone mistook me for an extrovert. For every introvert I run into, there seem to be at least 3 extroverts based on my informal studies.
The state of the world seems to confirm that introverts are the minority. So little deep thought seems to be used to confront our problems, I am led to believe that most decisions are made by extreme extroverts.
Perhaps we should consider forming the “Introvert Party” and run on the platform; “We think first!”
Great post and I am looking forward to seeing more comments.
Namaste,
Roger
I don’t know if a change in the numbers would really make much of a difference. For whatever reason, the rules of the game are still biased in favor of extroverts. That’s just the way it is.
As far as percentages go, I think we should consider introversion/extroversion as a spectrum and look at the numbers that way. I am definitely in the 20%-30% hard core introvert group but my wife might not be; she is more outgoing than I am and much more patient in situations that would drive me nuts yet she enjoys her quiet time to recharge after a busy day. Looking at it this way, introvert-leaning individuals may comprise 40% of the general population, but probably not more than that. If this percentage was higher, we would already be playing by a different set of rules.
@Glen – Yes, that’s what I was trying to get at – There are those of us who are introverted to the core – probably around 25%, and then those who are more towards the middle of the continuum, but still introverted, that might push the number up a bit. Same would go for extroverts, only the other way around. And yes the rules would probably change. Thanks!
@Roger – We Think First! That’d be a great platform! I can guarantee we’d get a very solid 30% of the vote! I wonder if everyone else would be pondering what the hell we were thinking so much and so hard about!
Power to the (Quiet) People! And thanks for the comment 
Reading book called Introvert Power, by Laurie Helgoe, Ph.D. She disputes the accepted percentages and ratios and puts introverts/extroverts closer to 1:1. She goes into great detail in her book why the #s are skewed and that we need to begin to use the correct numbers. She does not feel introverts are a minority.
I don’t believe we are either. I am new to the subject, though and am not a professional about it. Her site is http://www.introvertpower.com.
Perhaps, there is another blogpost about the debate? Just asking?
@ Lee Ann-If introverts were to be the majority, where do the misconceptions come from? I know both extroverts and introverts misunderstand each other and bump heads occassionally, but wouldn’t it be odd that the supposed introvert majority isn’t devaluing extroverted qualities? Hopefully, I worded the question clearly.
@Roger Now THERE’S a party I could get behind. haha
Another thing I’d like to add is that I’d be curious to know the conditions under which said statistics were gathered. If it was a true psychological test, would they not involve some sort of in-person interview or some other way of foolproofing the system? I don’t know, it just unsettles me that such a great shift in the data is accounted for by ‘closet introverts.’ Firstly, they would have to willingly and knowingly lie on a test in which there was utterly no consequence for whatever answer one would give. I just don’t see the rationale, the motive, behind having to cover up one’s introverted-ness in such a situation, unless one was SO ashamed and in denial that he or she refused to admit it, but that seems a bit extreme, does it not? Especially having to explain and account for such a great number of people. Secondly, the test would have to be so full of holes allowed for by the psychological professionals delivering the test that these closet introverts could easily slip under their radar. To escape the nets of someone whose JOB it is to detect their state of mind. A test that blatantly easy to fake doesn’t seem very scientific to me. Hell, at this point, your ’study’ above would be more credible within the science community than this hypothetical.
Another thing to add to the above is, up until I started reading some stuff from Twitter, and then reading this blog, I didn’t think of myself as an introvert. I didn’t go ‘yeah, that’s me’ until recently. Said test would HAVE to be able to place you in one of the categories, or in some sort of frame of reference, because it’s something you don’t necessarily consider unless you’re confronted with it. If I was confronted at first, who knows what I’d say. That fact pretty much puts the data all over the map.
Basically, it all depends on the conditions.
To answer the question you posed at the end, I guess I’d be a bit frustrated, knowing that things are the way the are despite our majority. But, then again, it’s pretty much that way with everything, so who’s to say I would actually be shocked by said data? Would it vindicate me? No, not really. I’ve been vindicated in the knowledge that there’s an explanation and a purpose behind my seemingly erratic behaviours. Whether 20 or 80 percent of the population shares these same behaviours makes no difference to me.
To be brutally honest, before I really thought about it and connected with people, both here and around me, I thought that I just needed to work on my social skills. That my introversion was the result of years and years of slow mental conditioning by my actions and attitudes, and not necessarily something that *comprised* my personality, as it were? As though my introversion was working against the grain of the rest of the development of my personality. Whether majority or not, it’s good just to know that I am introverted.
Also, as a heads up, the FB group link is here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=53176887747
Cheers!
Based off my own experiences, we’re in the great minority, just under 20%.
But I do think there’s another 20% closet-introverts who have adapted well and changed themselves into extroverts do to the constant pressure and misunderstandings.
Yet, they go off into long binges of deep introversion only to emerge out of their hibernation to extroverted behavior again.
Just a thought. I think I know a guy like this.
@Judith – I replied to your comment at the other post – Thanks for chiming in both here and there!
@Chad – You’re right – the numbers have the potential for being all over the place depending a whole host of factors. And does it really matter? No. What matters is whether or not the introvert has learned to be comfortable in his or her own skin.
I think that it’s possible that the population of extremely introverted people probably falls somewhere around 20% of the entire human population, which is what Neal mentions (see his comment).
@Neal – I think you’re right that there is a certain percentage of introverts who have learned to deal with the pressure and misunderstandings – they might (mostly) be the ones who are more toward the middle of the introvert-extrovert spectrum. They’re still introverts, but just not extremely introverted.
Having said that, extremely introverted people can and do adapt to the “extroverted world” too. I sometimes get frustrated that I even have to adapt – but that’s a whole other discussion!
Lee Ann you know that I coach introverts in business to leverage all their strengths that customers actually do want. When I attend networking events I can easily see the 80/20 division of extroverts and introverts. If anyone has been to these extrovert touted parties you would easily see it too. I mean have you ever seen a Happy Hour held at a library, or with low lighting, or with just a handful of people – on purpose? Much more of the research – Laney in The Introvert Advantage, Wagele in The Happy Intovert (which I highly recommend) – quote resources finding the 25% to 35% of us in the population. While I think Helgoe’s anecdotal evidence is flawed, I do love the title and premise of her book: that there is power in introversion. NOTE: On occasion I might think someone is an introvert but when I ask them one question that I find depicts us well, I am sometimes proven wrong. I haven’t read Helgoe’s book but is her premise in solid research, tested observations? I just can’t reason it.
Thanks for this discussion.
@Morpheus – You worded the question beautifully. That’s the weird thing – we all know that the majority – any kind of majority shouldn’t push a minority around. But it seems that we humans have a way of doing that. The majority is the group who decides what is normal and what makes sense.
This doesn’t happen when it comes to governments that are dictatorships or things like that, but that’s not what we’re talking about, right? We’re talking about just what happens in everyday human interactions. So in thinking about this, there is still so much pressure to join in and be a part of the crowd and do what everyone else is doing. This starts in early childhood and continues well into adulthood. One is viewed as weird when they don’t want to join in – or think doing extroverted things is weird.
If the majority was introverted, it seems that things would be the opposite – simply because of human nature. Unless the majority was so small and so unwilling to assert themselves.
If we’re talking about a majority that is only a 7% majority – that’s small. But it would seem that introversion would still not be viewed as so odd to so many people.
Hmmmm.
I almost forgot! Someone started a Social Introvert group at Twitter: http://twittgroups.com/group/introverts – it’s a small and relatively quiet group. As someone there said, and I’m paraphrasing, there’s not a lot of chatter but we know we are there and that’s what is most important.
I just joined your FB group.
@Pat – I’ve observed the same type of thing – when I worked in the “real” world and had to attend training seminars and what-not.
I do love the premise of her book as well. Introvert Power. That’s true. There is power in being introverted and I applaud her for bringing this out. The comments that we read here and on all my posts are a great indicator of just that!
The research she cites apparently comes from the MBTI Step 11 Manual, and is based on a “large scale” research project that puts us at 57%. I am heading to the library today to see if they have the manual handy.
This is fun!
@Patricia – It’s weird that we get semi-excited about Internet groups. I’ll check that twitter group out. Thanks for joining the FB group – we’re five strong now!
You on Twitter, Lee Ann? Is THIS BLOG on Twitter, come to think of it???
@Chad – I’m on twitter. User name is bluemitten. I have a love/hate relationship with twitter. Is the blog on twitter? Um. Not officially. Should it be?
@Chad – I have the “twitter this” plugin sitting on my desktop – haven’t uploaded it to my blog yet – it’s another thing to do…….
Sorry, this may be off topic, but…
Roger,
Yes! to your political party idea. What an excellent slogan. I think it is unlikely there are very many introverts in our elected government. I think those making the laws need, at least, a group of introverts to consult when making decisions.
@April – Here, here!
@ Roger: This blog does sort of serve as an “Introvert Party.” I might write your slogan on my sweatshirt or something; I really like it!
As for the stats thing, I’ve observed my family and the for every 3 extroverts: 1 introvert rings true. Out of my sisters and grandpa, I’m the only strong introvert. However, when I did it overall, the stats changed in that I included my grandma and uncle as introverts. It was pretty hard to say what my mom was, but I think she could go either way. The total overall is: 3 extroverts, 3 introverts and 1 possible ambivert.
@Morpheus & Everyone Else for that Matter – I did get the information regarding the study that says that the introvert extrovert ratio is about 1:1. I have not yet read the study – not sure when I’ll get to it. But I talked to someone who is trained to read the MBTI personality test and she makes some interesting points – many that we’ve sort of covered here.
I think what it might come down to is the continuum or spectrum. On one end are the extreme introverts, and on the other are the extreme extroverts. In the middle you find the moderate introverts and extroverts. Because of the way our society is (I’m talking specifically about the US now), a lot of those introverts towards the middle have adapted pretty much completely to living an extroverted life, whether it’s painful for them to do so or not, mostly because the media and noisy extroverts are what we listen to. These people might be very extroverted on the outside, but still introverted on the inside. And we’ve talked about this – those are the “closet introverts”. So who knows if there is another 25% or 30% of the people out there that fit into the closet introvert category.
Regardless, it’s still an extroverted world that we live in – which accounts for our discomfort. I still like being an introvert.
Thanks Morpheus, for your comments and keeping this and other conversations going!
Just a quick (sorta) note- I like to study different typologies- MBTI, especially, though also the Enneagram and Socionics to an extent. MBTI seems to have been covered here, but I’ve found a bit of info from the other two. I don’t have any real statistics, but in a study comparing the Enneagram to MBTI results in a group of 390 adults in the Midwest US, there were four types that correlated to Extrovert and two that correlated to Introvert. The three left over correlated with different axises/functions. (Not sure what word to use) The study results are in the back of Helen Palmer’s book on the Enneagram.
However, Socionics is a completely different story from both, which surprised me. So I don’t botch the theory completely, here’s a link to an article on socionics type distribution that explains the idea behind an equal distribution of all types, including stats for the E-I axis: http://www.socionics.us/philosophy/type_distribution.shtml
Of course, as the author comes back to time and time again, the typologies are not equivalent, but then you have to wonder how the two typologies with the E-I axis define “introvert”… The fact that it’s a spectrum and not always clear cut also probably has a big impact on the results, as you said.
Anyways, I’m uncertain on the percentage of introverts in the world; none of the statistics are really definitive, although interesting. Just a personal note, with a bit of MBTI pushing, I’ve found that of my group of friends, only about four are extroverts in a lake of introverts. But it sounds like that’s uncommon…
And one last thing: has anyone else heard of the psychological study in which a group of people were persuaded to give wrong answers to really easy questions by simply inserting one person who confidently said the wrong answer loudly? I might be stretching the concept, but it makes me think that loud confidence may be why extroversion seems “right,” minority or majority.
Sorry for the length. ^^;;
@Alex – You add some interesting twists to the discussion. I am familiar with the Enneagram, and have read only a little about Socionics. I know they both go at the topic of personality from a different angle than the MBTI. I suspect that on any given day, we could come up with a different answer to introvert numbers based on what data and test we’re using.
I have heard of that study! I wish I could find it because there’s another twist, yes?
I talked to Wendy Gelberg, the author of The Successful Introvert: How to Enhance Your Job Search and Advance Your Career yesterday about this. Wendy is also trained to administer and interpret the MBTI. She made an excellent comment to the effect that regardless of the numbers, introverts are in the minority culturally, if not numerically. I agree with this for sure!
Thanks for your comment!
I am in introvert. I grew up very quiet and shy. Now people are surprised when I tell them I’m an introvert. So I’m not so much a closet introvert as an introvert who’s learned to be extroverted under certain circumstances.
There is nothing to be ashamed of as an introvert as we have a richer inner life and are by and large more creative. If the extroverts would just shut up once in awhile, they see that we are valuable to them and no change to our basic nature is necessary.
Most performers and many public figures are introverts so we are certainly making our mark!
Even though I appear extroverted, I have no trouble being introverted and enjoying my rich inner life. And, I”m happy that I can function more easily in social situations than I used to.
Majority or minority, what difference does it make. Chances are we won’t be banding together in a big loud group anyway!