They say that introverts are more intelligent. Of course this is not true. But is true that people with higher IQ tend to lean towards being introverted. I know it seems contradictory but it is not.
I will try to explain myself. This article is not about introverts being more or less intelligent than extroverts. This was just a clickbait. It is about an idea that occurred to me during a communication training with a group of people that I perceived as introverts.
The Story
I was delivering a communication training to a group of people that I perceived as mainly introverts. Like many trainers I use to assess participant expectations in the beginning of the seminar and I was receiving the usuals like:
- how should I talk to strangers
- how should I deliver public speeches
- how should I control my emotions when I need to speak to people I do not know
- …
One of the participants told me that he would have to chose between speaking in person or through an app, he would prefer to use the app. And it really hit me!
It is just my perception, but I noticed that my 16yo son friends prefer to do the same. I noticed that younger generation considers first writing a message in Whatsapp instead of calling. I have also noticed that even when people want to date someone, there is a certain amount of people that prefer an app. I am sure that everyone with a critical eye can see the trend.
Writing preference for interpersonal communication is usually preferred by introverts in general. But why the trend?
Another trend
I made a short research using Gemini (I know this is not scientific and is not a proper research) and I asked the AI assistant what are Meyers Briggs assessments for computer scientists and software engineers and I got the following dominance:
- INTJ
- INTP
- ISTJ
- ENTP
Now take a look at the first letter. First letter in a Meyers Briggs test is I for introvert and E for extrovert. We see that computer science based jobs have a tendency to lean toward introverts. This does not mean necessarily that every computer scientist or software engineer is introvert, but we know that geeks are mostly introverts. We know this from school.
If you have worked with people software companies, you know that their jobs require introspections, deep thinking, problem solving and personal study, behaviours that are common to introverts – therefore is not a job requirement, but let’s say that you have an advantage.
Some famous Introverts
Just for fun, I will add here some famous introverts: Bill Gates, Larry Page, Mark Zuckerberg, Kevin Systrom, Steve Wozniak and let’s have a look at the founding fathers of AI: Elon Musk, Dario Amodei, Sam Altman – they are all introverts.
I met some genius coders and I might say that most of them are introverts – but maybe this is my perception.
It is true that we have a few exceptions like Jensen Huang or Steve Jobs and Jobs was never a coder.
But I am starting to see a pattern here. Why is this important?
My world, my rules
Go to someone’s home. I will argue that we are making our homes according to our personality threats. My home is the place where I need to feel safe and in control. I decide where the dishes will stay, where the TV set will stay,
You get the idea!
When we have to decide, we decide according to our way of viewing the world. And when we have the power to decide for a large number of people, we make decisions according to our views of the world.
It is hard to acknowledge but for example, everyday we use an iPhone we give in to the way Steve Jobs though this device should work.
Now let’s have a look at what is happening when you design an app. You make it according to your way of thinking. More than that you have the capability to enforce rules that the ones who use that app will have to obey. There is no other way – you have total control.
Maybe is just me, but I would argue that most of the apps are made so that the introverts are happy using it.
Are there pure introverts?
Nope! Or maybe! But this is a very rare personality threat.
Personalities are a spectrum. There is no one in one of the extremes. It seems that Carl Jung would have famously said that
There is no such thing as a pure extravert or a pure introvert. Such a man would be in the lunatic asylum.
There everyone has an introvert dimension in his/ her spectrum. I believe most of it is contextual. I will give an easy to understand example – going to the gym.
What happens when you go to the gym?
Let’s say that you go the gym and you focus working only on legs. If you are doing it right, I bet that you legs muscle will get bigger, but you arms muscles won’t.
It would be easier for you and you would prefer activities that promotes the usage of legs. You will become better in sports with legs.
Or let’s say that your friend are playing football (soccer). If football is you only sport, sooner or later your legs will become stronger – because you use them.
Like a conclusion
Let’s put everything together now.
Powerful introverts are building tools that suit them. These tools (social media, messaging, webs, different apps) are made so that it would fit their personality and will enhance the introvert side of other people.
Add the fact that most of the kids are shy when they are little. Getting to become comfortable with other people than your parents and brothers is a skill that most of the people will have to learn.
AI will get in our lives.
Are we building an introvert world without knowing it?