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Comment by dimino | Hacker News Reader

I tend to be a bit skeptical when studies are based on extroversion and introversion, if only because I can test on all parts of the spectrum depending on my mood.

I think people shackle their identity to their *version, and it can be limiting.

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Out of curiosity, how are you defining the two? I ask because a lot of people tend to define them at "enjoys interactions with (larger numbers of) people" vs "does not enjoy interactions with (larger numbers of) people". The definition I like is that an extrovert gains (emotional) energy from interacting with people, while for an introvert those same interactions are draining. Both can enjoy the interactions, it's just a matter of how long they can sustain it.

I think of it in terms of energy gaining/draining, but I meant more from the "big 5" test perspective, as well as the other groups of personality tests you can take like DISC and Meters-Briggs.

In general I'm fairly skeptical of personality tests, beyond just intro/extro version, for the similar reason that a) I can test vastly different based on my mood and b) people tend to tie their self image to the results and you end up with a tail-wagging-dog situation.

This is generally a problem. We put people into these large categories like “liberal/conservative” or “introvert/extrovert” and then expect that to neatly explain a whole range of behaviors and preferences. In reality people rarely fall completely into these categories.

Humans are stereotyping / categorizing machines, we can't help it.

Abstracting. Humans like to abstract things into manageable portions.

Same difference, no?

I didn't lie to my manager, I presented him an abstract view for quick and effective decision making without having to be "in the weeds".

I'd almost compare it to gender. Yes there's a spectrum, but the outer areas are very lumpy. In the case of sensitivity to office noise, the only aspect I see as intersecting with extro/intro traits would be chitchat. Everything else seems like it would come down to distractibility level, which I don't think is tied to those traits at all.

I'm just glad so many managers are cool with responsible use of headphones & noise cancellation approaches these days. Certain tasks simply require more focus.

I think there are many factors that should be controlled for in these evaluations. I know for me getting enough sleep and being in good health make a big difference in how sensitive I am to environmental distractions.

A lot of people who label themselves introverts have sensory processing sensitivities. If you measure sensory overload you're going to find 'introverts'.

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