Are Extroversion and Introversion Innate?

Are Extroversion and Introversion Innate?

The Science of Young Introverts
Like most questions of nature versus nurture, Laney tells us that the answer is a little bit of both: “Yes, children are born with an innate temperament. ... Out of all the personality traits that have been studied, introversion/extroversion is one of the most strongly hereditary ones.

Is Introversion and extroversion a real thing?

People can be what you might call introverts with a capital I (aka "very introverted") or they might be outgoing in some situations with some introverted tendencies. Introversion exists on a continuum with extroversion, and most people tend to lie somewhere between the two.

Is being an extrovert genetic?

Extraversion is highly heritable, implying that it has a genetic basis. The fact that people still vary on the extraversion continuum implies that natural selection could not deliver a clear verdict for extraversion over introversion.

James H. Sterling
Author

James H. Sterling

James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.