Why am I an introvert?

CrowdScience listener Daniel in Accra, Ghana is an introvert. Or at least, he thinks he is. And he’s worried that his preference for quiet spaces and lower social interaction might be holding him back in life. But what is introversion really? How do introverts and extroverts see the world differently? And is it better to be one or the other?

Presenter Alex Lathbridge spends his working days talking to interesting people like Daniel. He loves meeting people, and talking to them too, yet he also thinks that deep down, he might be an introvert. To understand how and why people come to be introverted or extraverted, and what’s happening in the brain, he pays a visit to neuroscientist Dr Thomas Tagoe from the University of Ghana Medical school, for a peek inside the mind. Turns out, introverts aren’t shy, and definitely aren’t anti-social either, despite what people might assume. The difference is more about how we process stimulation, and at what point we find it all a bit too much to process. Although sometimes it might feel like the world is built for the extraverts out there, Thomas offers some reassurance. There are huge benefits to being introverted too, and there’s room in the world for all the different personality types to thrive.

But how about in the workplace? Daniel is worried that his introversion could be holding him back at work. He feels like being good at your job is not always enough – you need to be able to network, charm people, and “work the room” if you want to succeed. So, Alex heads for the Methodist University of Ghana to meet Professor William Baah-Boateng, who has studied the effect of all the different personality types on their performance in the workplace. Is there a place for the introverts of this work to make their mark?

Presenter: Alex Lathbridge

Producer: Emily Knight

Editor: Ben Motley 

(Photo:A view of a woman's eye looking through a hole in some colorful paper-Stock Photo - Credit:PeopleImages via Getty Images)