Shyness as an Evolutionary Trait

Today I saw a link on a friend's facebook profile because facebook is where I get all my news, and I found it very interesting. I think I am more of an introvert than an extravert even though I definitely have a lot of extroverted qualities.

Is Shyness an Evolutionary Trait?
Susan Cain
New York Times, June 25, 2011

The article goes to bat with the issues of social anxiety that our society currently views as being overall debilitating and less valuable than confidence in groups and social situations. The author first points out when shyness came into psychology as an issue and describes the situation now where classrooms and offices are designed with teamwork and extroversion in mind.

Cain then refers to research done on animals regarding introversion and extroversion. 15 to 20% of species are watchful and slow to act, like introverts. Animals are labeled as "sitters" or "rovers" and undergo two experiments. One involves fish and an underwater traps; the rovers get caught, while the sitters avoid it after observing this. In this situation, the sitters are the ones who live and go on to produce. In another experiment, the scientist took the same fish into the lab and put them in a new environment. Here, the rovers lived because they were quicker to adapt. Essentially, both types are valuable in the animal kingdom, of which we are a part (though it seems we often forget this fact).

Returning back to human specific research, Cain goes on to look at studies done of children and students. Various studies show that students who are introverted, but who do not have higher IQ, tend to have better test scores and a broader understanding of more subject areas. This is likely a result of their ability to focus, watch, and listen more, and also because their tendency to be introverts lends time towards these pursuits.

Some interesting personality traits that the article mentions being more prevalent in introverts: conscientiousness, empathetic, less of a desire to cheat, and other pro-social behaviors, to use Cain's term.

While it seems to us that introverts are less likely to succeed in society or the classroom or the business world, this really may not be the case. Artists, scientists, and many jobs that require focused, individual effort obviously use the skills of an introvert. As far as general employees, introverts are good at being proactive workers, thinking of ideas, as well as having good, thoughtful communication skills developed from watching and listening.

Essentially, the overall message of the article is that both personality types are valuable and useful, and society shouldn't dismiss or overmedicate one because its extremes are harmful to the individual and isn't currently the most popular behavior.