Initiating contact
You may be more likely to start the conversation rather than wait to be approached. In a new group, making the first connection may feel more natural than staying in the background.
One preference. Eight possible types.
ExtraversionThe E preference
Starting conversations and engaging with the people around you.
Extraversion (E) describes a preference toward the outer world of people and activity. It contrasts with Introversion (I), which emphasizes inward attention and reflection. It is one part of a four-letter result, rather than a complete description of confidence, warmth or ability.
Read this preference alongside the other three pairs. Two people who share E can still differ considerably in the rest of their profile.
48 questions · Free results · Optional saving to your profile
What does a Extraversion preference look like?
Conversation, social initiative and company. Everyday interpretations informed by the historical response patterns below.
Enjoying conversation
Talking, chatting and meeting different people were recurring signals in this archive. The setting still matters: someone can enjoy lively conversation and dislike a particular crowd.
Making social situations happen
You may actively bring people together or help a gathering get going. Notice whether others want to join in or would prefer more space.
From the SimilarMinds response archive
What distinguished the E groups?
The historical E groups reported starting conversations, talking to more people at parties and choosing to spend free time with others. Social ease also distinguished the groups. The pattern includes both seeking interaction and feeling comfortable during it; those can vary separately in an individual.
See six item comparisons, averages and response counts
The selected items differ in the same direction in two related views of the archive. Paired preference uses the E/I classification; main type uses the separate main-type classification. These are overlapping views of historical responses, not independent replications.
| Item | Paired preference | Main type | Main-type delta versus all respondents |
|---|---|---|---|
| I am a very outgoing and social person. | E 2.96 / I 1.17Responses: 1,480 / 1,523 | E 3.48 / I 0.77Responses: 478 / 340 | E +70% I -62% |
| I start conversations. | E 3.00 / I 1.59Responses: 745 / 759 | E 3.44 / I 1.26Responses: 212 / 172 | E +50% I -45% |
| I talk to a lot of different people at parties. | E 2.78 / I 1.16Responses: 777 / 725 | E 3.29 / I 0.82Responses: 231 / 162 | E +65% I -59% |
| I usually like to spend my free time with people. | E 2.87 / I 1.60Responses: 1,567 / 1,441 | E 3.22 / I 1.23Responses: 498 / 330 | E +42% I -46% |
| I love to chat. | E 3.06 / I 1.87Responses: 1,518 / 1,490 | E 3.46 / I 1.51Responses: 442 / 321 | E +40% I -39% |
| I do most of the talking. | E 2.49 / I 1.31Responses: 742 / 762 | E 2.83 / I 0.92Responses: 199 / 159 | E +50% I -51% |
Delta = selected-group average ÷ overall average − 1. For example, +30% means an average 30% above the overall item average; it is not an effect size or a percentile. Displayed deltas were rounded by the original app.
Source: SimilarMinds legacy MBTI item archive, read November 9, 2026. Active scaled items, including both normal and rotational items; all available versions and genders pooled. Counts vary by item and represent recorded responses. Items shown had at least 100 responses in each main-type group and 200 in each paired group. This descriptive selection does not control for other preferences, gender, questionnaire version or item wording.
Putting the preference to use
Making the pattern useful
Use your willingness to start conversations to invite contributions, including from people who take longer to join in. A pause can be as useful as another question.
When working through an idea aloud, tell others whether you are exploring possibilities or announcing a decision. This can keep an informal discussion from being mistaken for a settled plan.
Reading the result carefully
What this preference does not establish
Extraversion does not establish intelligence, popularity, kindness or leadership skill. Social confidence and social appetite overlap in these historical responses, but an outgoing person can still feel anxious or need time alone.
The archive describes self-reported group averages. An association is a starting point for understanding the pattern, not a rule about every person with this letter.
The eight personality types with E
They share Extraversion while differing on the other three preferences.
Common questions about Extraversion
Does E mean being outgoing all the time?
No. The result summarizes a tendency across answers. Your energy, companions, subject and setting can change how much interaction you want.
What if my E / I result is close?
A narrow difference supports a less definite interpretation than a large difference. Read the paired scores, consider your own examples and avoid putting too much weight on a single letter.
Does sharing E make two people compatible?
It gives them one preference in common. It does not establish a relationship outcome. Distinct Traits comparisons show a more detailed pattern of similarities and differences.
See your own E / I result
Explore all four preference pairs in one Jung personality test.
Framework background: The Myers & Briggs Foundation’s preference guide. Test implementation: SimilarMinds Jung system. Practical suggestions are illustrations; archive observations are historical self-report associations.