Extroverts Are Often Poor Listeners — And Introverts Are Better

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Extroverts are known for their social skills and engaging relationships. Yet, the assumption is made that they must be good listeners. That is not true, according to recent research.

A series of studies published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin by Francis J. Flynn and his team from Stanford University has discovered that extroverts are poor listeners.

Although there is no academic consensus on what constitutes good listening skills, available research characterizes them as emotion-based, cognitive, and behavioral:

• Focusing completely on what another person is saying and engaging with their ideas thoughtfully and comprehensively.
• Proving that you’re following along by giving feedback, nodding, or paraphrasing.
• Encouraging the speaker with words or gestures.
• Asking good questions that show curiosity and interest.
• Empathy, or the ability to perceive and relate to the thoughts, emotions, or experiences of others.
• Open-mindedness, or the willingness to consider different perspectives and opinions.
• Appropriate body language, such as eye contact, posture, and facial expressions.
• Noticing non-verbal…