20 Ways to Find out if You're an Extrovert

1. Do you prefer one-on-one conversations to group activities?
2. Do you often prefer to express yourself in writing?
3. Do you enjoy solitude?
4. Do you seem to care less than your peers about wealth, fame, and status?
5. Do you dislike small talk, but enjoy talking in depth about topics that matter to you?
6. Do people tell you that you're a good listener?
7. Do you avoid taking big risks?
8. Do you enjoy work that allows you to "dive in" with few interruptions?
9. Do you like to celebrate birthdays on a small scale with only a few close friends or family members?
10. Do people describe you as "soft-spoken" or "mellow?"
11. Do you prefer not to show or discuss your work with others until it's finished?
12. Do you dislike conflict?
13. Do you do your best work on your own?
14. Do you tend to think before you speak?
15. Do you feel drained after being out and about, even if you enjoyed yourself?
16. Do you often let calls go through to voicemail?
17. If you had to choose, would you prefer a weekend with absolutely nothing to do over one with too many things scheduled?
18. Do you dislike or don't enjoy multitasking?
19. Can you concentrate easily?
20. Do you prefer lectures to seminars in classroom situations?

If you answered "No" to any majority of the questions listed above, congratulations! The more times you answered "No," the more extroverted you are. Extroverts are often characterized by their gregariousness, comfort in the spotlight, and preference of action to contemplation. Fun fact: the United States is among the most extroverted of nations.

Extroverts are lucky in that they are comfortable living in the "Extrovert Ideal" because their true characteristics are prized and considered 'ideal.' The Extrovert Ideal is the belief that the ideal person is friendly, sociable, and outgoing, all traits that shape an extrovert.

Excerpted from Quiet by Susan Cain