Humans 101
You’re Probably Not an Introvert (or an Extrovert)
Statistics, psychology, and the limitations of identity labels
We love using labels. Star Wars fans label themselves based on which fictional characters they envision dating each other. Left-wing activists derisively label one another based on whether they prefer a state-driven version of communism or a more anarchist one. Queer people create labels for highly specific gender and sexual identities we possess, giving voice to experiences that were silenced for centuries. Armchair psychologists label public figures they dislike with mental illness diagnoses — Narcissism, Munchhausen’s, Alzheimer’s.
People on the internet also take personality tests — lots of them — and gleefully adopt the labels those tests spit out. Since the ’90s, the web has been rife with psychometric tests and quizzes, which vary widely in their sincerity and validity. Are you a Monica or a Ross? Are you open to new experiences? Are you a Hufflepuff or a Ravenclaw? Are you a sociopath?
From this endless pile of measures, one has consistently emerged as the most popular: the Introversion-Extroversion Scale. If you’ve been on the internet long enough, you’ve taken some version of this quiz. And if you’re on the internet a lot, well, odds are the test…
