Psychology 101
Extraversion: Meaning, High vs Low Scores
The CQ Team · 5 min read · Oct 16, 2026
Extraversion is the Big Five trait that describes how much you seek out people, speak up and bring energy to things. Its three facets are sociability, assertiveness and energy level, so it covers more than being outgoing.
Extraversion is the Big Five trait that describes how much you seek out people, speak up and bring energy to things. Its three facets are sociability, assertiveness and energy level, so it covers more than being outgoing. Low scorers are introverts: quieter and more reserved.
Each facet is a range. Neither end is the good one, and most people sit somewhere in between.
| Facet | High scorers | Low scorers |
|---|---|---|
| Sociability | Seeks out people and enjoys big gatherings. | Prefers a few people or time alone. |
| Assertiveness | Speaks up, takes the lead and says what they want. | Lets others lead and keeps opinions to themselves. |
| Energy level | Full of energy and enthusiasm. | Calm, measured and less excitable. |
Facet names from the BFI-2 (Soto & John, 2017); descriptions are our summaries.
It is the Big Five trait most tied to positive mood and happiness. In a meta-analysis of personality and wellbeing, extraversion correlated .53 with positive mood. Low extraversion was common among people diagnosed with persistent low mood or social anxiety (Kotov et al., 2010), though most introverts have neither.
| Happiness | .57 |
| Positive mood | .53 |
| Life satisfaction | .35 |
Corrected correlations from Steel et al. (2008); happiness rests on only six studies.6.
The assertive side of extraversion tends to rise in young adulthood. The sociable, energetic side rises in adolescence and falls in old age. Differences between men and women are small and mixed. (Roberts et al., 2006)
The Myers-Briggs E/I letter tracks this trait closely. (Furnham et al., 2003, replicating McCrae & Costa, 1989)
Both spellings are used. Personality research, including the BFI-2 questionnaire, spells it extraversion.
Partly. Sociability is one of its three facets; the others are assertiveness and energy level.
On average, yes: extraversion is the trait most tied to positive mood and happiness. Many introverts are just as happy.
Yes. Introversion is the low end of the same scale, not a separate trait.
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