Your DNA determines whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert — here’s how to tell which one you are

By Lindsay Dodgson

At some point in your life, you’ve probably been described as an extrovert or an introvert. It’s true that many of us place ourselves in one of those two categories — or somewhere in the middle if you’re an ambivert.

These labels were coined in the 1920s by the psychologist Carl Jung. He said the differences between these personality types are essentially down to energy. Extroverted people often receive energy by social interactions, while introverts need time alone to recharge.

But nobody is entirely one or the other — introverts enjoy social occasions too, and extroverts will enjoy reading a book somewhere quiet from time to time. What is clear is that some people are more on one end of the scale than the other.

Linda Blair, a clinical psychologist, told Business Insider that your level of introversion or extroversion is actually in your DNA. In other words, you can’t change it.

“It has to do with what’s called the need for arousal,” she said. “This is not sexual arousal, but it’s a need to be stimulated before you act — before you can do what you want to do.”

Introverts have a lot of the chemical that makes them feel stimulated. Extroverts don’t have so much. This is why introverts tend to avoid crowded places or deadlines — things that are likely to put extra pressure on them — because they already have pressure within themselves.