I've been doing some reading on introverts and extroverts lately. It all started after I read a really interesting book this past fall (actually, I listened to the book on tape while driving back from dropping my daughter off at college) called, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain. According to several leadership theories, highly charismatic, energetic, self-confident individuals make the best leaders. In other words, the best leaders are extraverts. As it turns out, there are studies to support this assertion. However, there are just as many studies, many of which are discussed in Cain's book, that suggest that introverts can be great leaders too.
As I have mentioned on several posts in the past, I score fairly high on the introvert scale. Given the choice between going to a social gathering with a large group of friends or having a quiet evening at home reading a good book or watching a movie with my wife, I choose the latter every time. I really don't like being the center of attention. While I am definitely goal-oriented, I am driven more by intrinsic motivation than extrinsic motivation. Recognition is nice to receive, but I prefer to receive it in private instead of in a public forum.
So, am I doomed as a leader because I am an introvert? As it turns out, the answer is definitely no. For one, introverts can overcome some of their quiet tendencies and still be effective leaders. Even more interesting, in many cases, an introvert leader is a great asset and preferable to an extrovert leader.
But before I talk about introverts (and I will in an upcoming post), I have to mention something that I came across in my background research called the lemon juice test. The test was invented by a psychologist named Hans Eysenck in the late 1960's. The test goes something like this. Take some lemon juice and place a few drops of it on your tongue. Introverts salivate more than extraverts do! Sounds hokey, right? Well, there is a biologic explanation for how the lemon juice test works. Eysenck's research found that the Ascending Reticular Activating System (RAS), an area of the brain (actually, the brain stem) that has important functions in arousal, sleep/wakefulness, attention, and habituation. Chronic, overstimulation of the RAS is more common in introverts, while decreased stimulation of the RAS is more common in extroverts. This makes sense, right? If the RAS is stimulated all the time (as you would find in introverts), the last thing a person wants is to be in an environment or situation that causes even more stimulation of the RAS. Conversely, if the RAS is never stimulated (as you would find in extroverts), an individual will want to seek out situations or an environment that results in stimulation of the RAS.
What does this have to do with lemon juice? Surprisingly enough, the RAS also appears to be involved in taste perception. More stimulation of the RAS in this case leads to greater taste perception of the lemon juice, leading to higher levels of saliva production. Again, as introverts have a hyperactivated RAS, they will "perceive" the lemon juice taste and produce greater levels of saliva.
Eysenck was one of the first to link a biologic process with personality. Unfortunately, later studies suggested that his theory (and the lemon juice test) was an incredible oversimplification of a very complex biological process. Regardless, it is a pretty cool test that you can do at home. So go out and try the lemon juice test and see whether you are an introvert or an extravert (you probably already know). And then we will get to the discussion on whether you will make a good leader!
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