Be yourself. Unless, that is, you are introverted and want to be happier. In that case, according to new research from Carleton’s Happiness Laboratory, you should act extraverted.
The study titled “Personality and Affective Forecasting: Trait Introverts Underpredict the Hedonic Benefits of Acting Extraverted,” was conducted by psychology professor John Zelenski and asked participants to act introverted and extraverted, then record their emotions.
According to the study, extraverted behavior includes engaging in conversation with peers, partaking in social events, and more freely expressing oneself.
The study found that overall people felt happier behaving in extraverted ways, including self-ascribed introverts and extraverts.
Zelenski said the study was conducted to find out why people who claim to be introverted do not act in an extraverted fashion more often than those who describe themselves as extraverted.
“There is much previous research suggesting that people who are more extraverted are, on average, happier than people who are more introverted,” Zelenski said via email. “Because acting extraverted is fun for almost everyone, we wondered why introverted people don’t do it more often.”
“We do not want to suggest that there is anything wrong with being introverted or that extraverts are somehow better,” he said.
“That said, it appears more introverted people sometimes worry that socializing will be less fun than it actually is. This may keep them from doing it more often. It is possible adding a few moments of more extraverted behaviour to a day could boost moods.”
Zelenski said while the study is not 100 per cent accurate, he is confident in his findings.
“We conducted five very similar studies with very similar results,” he said.
Carleton students have mixed feelings about the results.
“As a person who can be very extraverted and sometimes very introverted, I can personally see how that is true,” third-year political science student Hilary Drescher Brown said. “But sometimes I really feel like staying at home and reading a book with my dogs.”
Others, like third-year public affairs and policy management student Daniel Joshua, opposed the findings.
“That’s nonsense,” he said.
“Many quiet people are perfectly happy, and some attention-seeking extraverts simply cry for attention to distract themselves from their lack of happiness.”
