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Pretending to Be Extroverted Doesn’t Help Introverts Be More Successful, New Study Finds
Despite there being no shortage of incredibly successful introvert leaders, there’s no denying that by and large the world of work is built for extroverts. The more you talk, the more likely people are to see you as leadership material, and success often hinges on the kinds of relationships built at extrovert-friendly events and conferences.
It’s natural enough for ambitious introverts to conclude that to get ahead they should probably just fake it. Sure, so much time projecting confidence and dealing with other people is exhausting, but you have to do what you have to do, right?
This line of reasoning sounds sensible, and there’s even some science to back it up. In the short term, research shows that pushing yourself to be more outgoing than you naturally feel like being will make you happier (other studies suggest it even might even nudge your personality a bit more toward the extrovert side of the scale).
If your goal isn’t just a short-term mood boost (or getting through a party), but long-term advancement, then perhaps think more carefully before faking extroversion consistently at work. Research finds that when introverts push themselves too hard to behave like extroverts, they waste so much energy that their performance falls sharply long…
