Friday Feature: Ambiverts

This is always the toughest time in the semester for me to write my Friday Features because the answer to "What are you reading?" is "Papers. Lots and lots of student papers."

But I'm also teaching, and so it's both fun and productive to go in search of articles that connect with my classes. This morning in my first year seminar we talked about personality, specifically introverts and extroverts.

And, of course, ambiverts.

Of course? Yes, of course because, as it turns out, most of us are ambiverts. A mix of extrovert and introvert, the ambivert is something of a social chameleon, able to adjust to both social time and alone time, to engage in conversation or get lost in thought. Organizational psychologist Adam Grant found that this blend of push and pull, talk and listen, actually makes ambiverts better salespeople than their extrovert peers.

Curious which one you are? Check out this quiz. The answer may surprise you. And, while you're at it, take in a few suggestions on how to take care of yourself and make the most of that ambivert personality.

Happy socializing!