You may have been asked whether you are an extravert or an introvert. Or you yourself have pondered for a moment whether you prefer to be in company or whether you like to spend time alone. This is not necessarily mutually exclusive. Anyone who is communicative and at the same time withdrawn could be ambiverted. This means you are somewhere in the middle of the spectrum between extraverted and introverted. But what actually characterizes ambiverts?

The idea that there are extraverted and introverted people is not new. It goes back to the Swiss psychologist Carl G. Jung. He studied introversion and extroversion in the early 1900s. He believed that there are people who are stimulated by the outside world (extraverts) and those who are stimulated by their inner world (introverts).

The two terms extraversion and introversion both have their origins in Latin. Extraversion is made up of the Latin words “extra” (outside) and “vertere” (to turn), introversion from “intro” (in) and “vertere” (to turn). But when it comes to extraversion, the term extrovert has become popular. The colloquial spelling is an adaptation of the opposite pole “introverted”.

According to Duden, both extroverted and extroverted are permissible. However, the term extravert is linguistically more precise and is also more commonly used in science.

Those who are extroverts draw their energy from being around people, like to be out and about and like to attend events. A humanitarian, then. Introverted people, on the other hand, draw their energy from quiet contemplation. They need a lot of time for themselves and are more likely to spend their time with two people with whom they feel connected. Introverts are often wrongly assumed to be shy – but that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with each other. Rather, they may need some time to themselves after social interactions to recharge their batteries.

Why some people draw strength from their inner world and others from external stimuli could be due to their reaction to dopamine. The substance that triggers feelings of reward in the brain. Neuroscientists suspect that extraverted people may react more positively to external stimuli than introverted people because their brain releases more dopamine in such situations.

Today, however, we know that there are not only extraverted and introverted people. After all, individual traits and character traits are difficult to fit into a schema F – especially when they are so far apart. On the contrary: our personality consists of many preferences, peculiarities and tendencies. So most of us fall somewhere between the two extremes.

There is good reason why Adam Grant from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania found that two-thirds of all people cannot clearly identify with one or the other trait – they are ambiverts. But what exactly does that mean in concrete terms? We will give you an overview of five characteristics of ambiverts.

They are neither extraverted nor introverted. Introverted people get their energy more from time with themselves. Extraverts, on the other hand, get their energy more from social interaction. But ambiverts can draw strength from both alone time and meetings with others.

Small talk doesn’t make you happy or hate While many introverts don’t like small talk and prefer deep conversations, extraverts can get more out of this type of interaction. Those who are ambiverts may not like small talk, but they recognize its role in social interaction. And finds it boring at best.

They like the limelight – sometimes Ambiverted people are usually not ones for the limelight. But every now and then the attention is welcome to focus on them and they feel comfortable being the center of attention. They just don’t want to be in the spotlight all the time. You can also stay behind the curtain – and observe.

You have two faces. Some people see you as very sociable and committed, while others perceive you as more reserved or closed. This shows the range of introverted and extraverted characteristics that an ambivert person possesses.

They like to be creativeLike introverts, ambiverts are often creative and withdrawn. When they spend time alone, they like to fill it with creative hobbies. Depending on their mood, they also like to share this with others.

Other sources: Forbes, Healthline,