Acting Extroverted Makes People Happier
whether a person is shy or outgoing, being more talkative, adventurous,
bold or assertive has a positive effect, according to a study conducted
at Wake Forest University.
participant in the study was happier when he or she acted extroverted
than when he or she acted introverted," said William Fleeson, associate
professor of psychology at Wake Forest and co-author of the study.
"Even introverts can act extroverted and become happier by changing
extroverted behavior seems to have a positive impact on mood; singing
out loud, talking to another person, asking a question in class or
voicing an opinion all seem to work, he added.
tracked their moods for two weeks reported feeling happier when they
acted in an outgoing manner, and less happy when they were quiet or
reserved, the study found. Whenparticipating in group discussions in
the lab, people who were instructed to act assertive andenergetic said
they enjoyed themselves. When they were asked to act passive and shy,
the same participants said they were unhappy in the situation and did
not have fun, according to the findings.
in this exercise matched upwith how the participants evaluated each
other’s behavior and mood, Fleeson said. When people were asked
to rate their levels of extroverted behavior and moods at the end of
each week for 10 weeks, the results also suggested a strong connection
between acting extroverted and greater happiness, he explained.
society, we tend to think of happiness as something that comes from
outside us," Fleeson said. "It’s kind of a radical idea thatwe
have some control of happiness, that personality is a factor in
happiness and that, to some extent, we have control over our
want to be happier and choose to act more outgoing, adventurous or
assertive, then they have the power to improve their own well-being, he
"The research demonstrates that extroversion can actually cause happiness," Fleeson said.