Researchers from Michigan State University havediscoveredtwo insights related toextraversionandpersonalitybeliefsthatcaninfluencebehavior andwell-being.

Jason Huang, an associate professorin theMSUSchool of Human Resources and Labor Relations in the College of Social Science,andformer doctoral student DongyuanWuhave found a nuanced way that people adapttheir behavior during interactions withothersthat can alsoaffecttheir satisfaction witha social experience.

Theresearchwas published onlineDec. 2 in the Journal of Individual Differences.

We make observations of people and their personalities, Huang said. If someone isgenerallyquitetalkative and energeticthen we would call them anextravert, but thisgeneral tendency does notaccurately capture how people respond to different social interactions with different cues.

During a three-week observation period,Huang and Wu surveyedmore than80 college students daily andfound that being anextravertis not only a personality trait,but also an adaptive behavior.Extravertsarecharacterizedas sociable andgregariousbut even introverts,characterizedasbeing shy or quiet, can deployextraversionas a contingencyin certainsocialsituations.

Attendinga conference for work wherean introvertneedsto meet and interact with alargegroupof new peoplemight trigger extraverted behavior. People arealsomore likely toshowextravertedbehavior when theyareinteracting with friendly people.

We call thisadaptivetendencyother-contingent extraversion, Huang said. Thisdescribesthemoment-to-moment change in behavior when people generallyswitchto extraversionin orderto adapttoacordialsituation.

Previous studies have shown a link between extraversion and increased satisfaction. So, Huang andWusought to understandifcontingent extraversion was also linked to increased happiness.Sincebehavior also influences what humans thinkand believe,theyalsoexaminedwhether the relationship betweencontingent extraversion and satisfaction depended on whether peoplebelievedtheirpersonality traitswerefixed or flexible.

If they thinkpersonalitytraitsareflexible, they(the students surveyed)were more likely to be satisfiedwith their college experiencewhen they acted extravertedin response tofriendly others, Huang said. Butfor those who think personality traits are fixedbutstillactedin that waythenthere was a conflict betweentheir behaviorandbeliefs,andthey reported being less satisfiedwith theircollege experience.

Howcan this information help peoplelive their beliefsand have greater life satisfaction?

People need to interact withothersbased on how they see themselves and how they want to behave, Huang said. Behave in a way that you feel you should behave. Be true to yourself,and youare likely tobe more satisfied in your environment.

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Extraversion is more than a trait, it's an adaptive tool - MSUToday