Friday’s email about introverts and extroverts got some tongues wagging.

And one response, from newsletter subscriber Vlad Adrian Iancu, was flying the flag for the forgotten child of the personality world:

The ambivert.  

Here’s what Vlad had to say:

I'm an ambivert... 

Depending on my mood and context, some people charge me, while others deplete me. 

It's actually quite weird. I could be the life of a party one second, and then, five minutes later, I'm a recluse :))

It's quite a challenge to balance. 

At least you know where you stand on a day-to-day basis :)).

Vlad's right.  As an introvert, most of the time I do know where I stand.  

And I like knowing.  I imagine not knowing can sometimes be a challenge.

Which makes me wonder...

What if knowing where we stand isn't a consequence of introversion and extroversion, but a cause?

In other words, what if “identifying” as an introvert or extrovert is simply a way to make life easier?

See, as I was researching ambiverts, I came across a short quiz which promised to flush out the ambiverts from the introverts and extroverts.

I’ve included it below.  You might like to try it for yourself.

For each question, simply answer true or false:

1. I can perform tasks alone or in a group. I don’t have much preference either way

2. Social settings don’t make me uncomfortable, but I tire of being around people too much

3. Being the centre of attention is fun for me, but I don’t like it to last

4. Some people think I’m quiet, while others think I’m highly social

5. I don’t always need to be moving, but too much down time leaves me bored

6. I can get lost in my own thoughts just as easily as I can lose myself in a conversation

7. Small talk doesn’t make me uncomfortable, but it does get boring

8. When it comes to trusting other people, sometimes I’m sceptical, and other times, I dive right in

9. Too much time alone leaves me bored. Yet too much time with other people leaves me drained

The more “trues” you get, the more ambiverted you are.

And I must admit that even your introverted email author, who likes nothing more than ducking down behind photocopiers, answered “true” to 5 of these questions.

So does that make me an ambivert?

Well, it’s certainly got me curious.  Does this quiz add weight to the theory that “introverts” and “extroverts” are labels we give ourselves to make life more comfortable and certain?  

And do we act in ways to keep up with our own labels, even though we're really somewhere in the ambiverted middle ground?

If this was true, there’d be no fixed or pre-determined way of acting or energising in any situation.  And we could be whoever we want, whenever we want.

Something to ponder perhaps.

That’s all for today.

 - Tom

p.s.  I’m curious.  How many “trues” did you get on the quiz?

Feel free to hit reply and let me know