Being a minority is hard. Not living up to the standards of society can be a soul crushing experience. Divergent sexualities, ethnicities, schools of thought - they all feel it. Female thinkers. Male feelers. Introverted Intuitives.
If you're an Introverted Intuitive, like me, then you know that people don't always "get" us. More than half the population is thought to be Extraverted and 70% is thought to be Sensing, and even if the target of our deep, personal, abstract monologues happen to be another Introvert Intuitive, chances are we're wasting our breath...
While some societies are certainly learning to accept these differences (even the Introvert is getting some love nowadays), the Intuitive - with the possible exception of inside the MBTI community itself - is still out in the cold, and when all is said and done society still wants you to be an Extraverted Sensor.
So... why is that? Well... the world of the Intuitive is abstract. The world of the Introvert is subjective. These worlds are per definition hard to share with others. Extraverted Sensors on the other hand spend most of their time in the world we all share. The world we can all see, hear, touch and smell...
Extraverted Sensors dedicate their mental resources to the concrete, to physical reality and the present moment. If your goal is to connect with, or help, another human being, that's a great advantage. You're standing on common ground. You're speaking a common language. Perhaps the conversation is a tad shallow, but at least you understand each other. Conversely, the chances of another person - irrespective of type - finding her way to that rare little island of unity in the deep waters of the Introverted Intuitive-mind is practically zero.
Why does the world prefer an Extrovert?
Extraverts like people. Well, that's a stereotype, but sometimes it's true. And people like being liked. We shouldn't forget that. Let's be hornets, perhaps the world wouldn't prefer Extraverts if the Introverts said something once in a while, or did something, or made their presence known in any way 😉. Even if we, for the life of us, can’t find a button worth pressing, at least the Extrovert is presenting us with an interface. At least the Extrovert will communicate and appreciate this communication as long as it stays "on the surface" (in the present moment and in reality).
I know what you're thinking. Extraverts don't necessarily like people. Extraverted Sensing and Extraverted Intuition could probably do away with people entirely and still stay in their flow state. But Extraverted Feeling and Extraverted Thinking need to ping off the tribe in order to calibrate their thoughts and feelings. And if you're trying to fit the templates of society, that's a good thing.
Why does the world prefer a Sensor?
Most people are thought to be Sensors, and that alone should go a long way in answering that question. Most people appreciate a similar thinking style. It promotes understanding. But this is not the only reason for other Sensors, or people in general for that matter, to prefer interacting with a Sensor. Sensors prefer concrete reality, the world around us, the world we share. There's really no limit to how personal and alienating the abstract inner world of the Intuitive can become. Even if it's not interesting or rewarding to everyone, it's easier to talk to a Sensor.
So why am I cherry picking one out of four Extraverted cognitive functions here? Couldn't I have selected Extraverted Thinking instead? Or Extraverted Intuition? Well... what I'm saying here is that being Extraverted is helpful in general, but being an Extraverted Sensor goes the extra mile. Being an Extrovert anchors you to the present moment on the axis of time. Being an Extraverted Sensor anchors you on the axis of time and space. These are the only two coordinates we share with other people. At least in IRL interaction.
Extraverted Sensors, amongst all types, are the most attentive to our shared experience, to the present moment and to physical reality. They have the most standardized interface. You don't even need a manual. Plug and play.
In search of common ground the Extraverted Sensor is just very easy to relate to and perceived as very useful in situations shared by other people.
Under the Hood
So... if all this is true... which it is... then why is it true? What's the real difference between an Introvert and an Extrovert? Between a Sensor and an Intuitive?
Well... from a biological perspective... it's Dopamine. And Acetylcholine. And possible Adrenaline... But let's not get to bogged down by the details of individual hormones and neurotransmitters here (we'll leave that to the Sensors). It's the concepts we want to study.
Well... we need a few details actually... bear with me...
Turns out there are two sides to our nervous system. The Sympathetic side and the Parasympathetic side. The former deals in “fight, fright, or flight”-responses and latter in “rest and digest”. Can you guess which is preferred by the Extravert and which by the Introvert?
The different sides of the nervous system use different pathways and each pathway has a drug of choice. When an Extravert individual engages in an activity that matches the "fight, fright or flight" preference of the Sympathetic Nervous System they get rewarded with a shot of Dopamine.
Preferring Extraverted cognitive functions means preferring the Dopamine Pathway, which in turn means enjoying a little more wind in your hair.
The Introvert on the other hand is hooked up to the Acetylcholine Pathway of the Parasympathetic Nervous System and will get treats in the form of Acetylcholine showers whenever they manage to get a little peace and quiet around here.
Extraverts need to engage with reality and the present moment, to try new things and meet new people. Because that's what their brains are rewarding them for doing. Introverts won't respond in the same way to these same experiences. Instead they will get rewarded for digging deep into whatever hole they find themselves in and the deeper they dig the greater the reward.
Stepping Out of the Lab
How does this translate to real life situations? Well... Extraverts are built for quick responses. For action. For making decisions based on the parameters at hand. Introverts are built for careful consideration. For making the best decision possible - all things considered.
Let's say that your car broke down. On the railroad track. And there's a train coming. Fast... Who would you rather have on your team? A person whose focus lies with the details of the current situation, who's able to quickly make a decision based on those details and perhaps rally any bystanders to help... or an eccentric dreamer who needs to have every action approved by his most meticulous, most accurate, most careful, inner bearcat... I mean bureaucrat?
It's plain to see that there's pros and cons to both styles, but you can sort of see why, from an evolutionary perspective, we have more Extraverts than Introverts and more Sensors than Intuitives. When attacked by a lion you don't have time read the "Big Book on Cats" before legging it.
Science and Studies and things that you can quote to lend some kind of credibility to all of this...
As illustrated by above image (and as described here), Extraverts use the "Shorter Extrovert Dopamine Pathway", while Introverts use the "Longer Introvert Acetylcholine Pathway". This is not just wording. These are actual, discrete biological paths that information travels in our brains. Studies have shown that Extraverts are better at effectively utilizing their working memory while Introverts score higher on IQ-tests. Furthermore it has been shown that Introverts have more gray matter and more blood flow to their brains.
No wonder Introverts are sometimes perceived as slow and mumbly and indecisive. We're not built to work fast. We're built to work right. Extraverts are built to act. Now. They need to be able to cram as big of a dataset as possible into their brain-box, analyze and produce immediate salvation to immediate danger.
This is not the job of the Introvert. The Introvert does better to take a step back, take some notes and go over the situation a couple of hundred times back at the cave. You know... overthink it! Perhaps we'll come up with something spectacular? Perhaps we'll learn to avoid these kind of dangerous situations altogether in the future? Perhaps we'll invent the musket!
There isn't much science to be had on the topic of Sensors vs. Intuitives so we'll just have to rely on logic. Our thesis is this: The world wants Extraverted Sensors. We've gone through the details and concluded that it is indeed so and it is but a simple matter of compatibility. Extraverted Sensing is the plug that fits any outlet. Might not give you all the power you want, but it works. It might not be the most successful (looking at you Extraverted Thinking), but it's the most appreciated.
What the World Needs
So... now that we've established what the world wants, and why, what about what the world needs? Most likely, I would say, it needs Sensors. I mean, I believe it needs more Sensors than it needs Intuitives. Proportionally. It just makes sense (pun intended).
Intuitives are great at creating new things, but someone has got to take care of them. Make sure that they work in the long run. There's a limit to how many wise hermits we can have in a cave. Not enough feathers and face paint for everyone to be a Shaman.
I guess, proportionally, we could do with some more Introverts, some more deep thinkers, but we can't take it too far. As a society, we still need to be able to communicate. To collaborate.
But perhaps we're moving in to an era where there's not as much need for maintenance any more, where the need for innovation and deep analysis has suddenly become far greater? There are definitely those who think so. But that's a whole other story.
Speculative Side Note
I'm not sure about this "introverts being sensitive to dopamine" stuff. I like dopamine and I have a feeling I would engage in a lot more Extravert-like activities if I was actually getting some. But I don't think I do. I'm in the wrong pathway.
I do believe, though, that alcohol switches the pathways (if you're an Introvert). Because with alcohol in our systems, all these Extravert-like activities suddenly don't seem that bad any more. The more we drink, the more we feel like talking to people. The more we drink, the more adventurous we become. The more we drink, the smarter we... hmm.. yeah, well... that just proves my point...
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