Extraversion and the ability to decode nonverbal communication

This study examined the relationship between extraversion, as measured by the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI), and skill at decoding nonverbal forms of communication. Prior research has had mixed success in establishing this relationship. Because extraverts have more experience in social settings than introverts, and because extraverts have a greater desire for sensory stimulation than introverts, it was hypothesized that extraverts would decode nonverbal cues in social interaction more accurately than introverts. The data supported this hypothesis. Extraverts were significantly more accurate in interpreting the meaning of nonverbal communication than introverts; in addition, extraverts were more confident that they were accurate decoders than introverts. The results are discussed in terms of cognitive processing style: the ‘extravert advantage’ in decoding nonverbal communication may be due to extraverts' superior attentive/perceptual skills; their superior interpretive/attributional skills; or both. In addition, the results are discussed in terms of methodological issues in the nonverbal decoding literature and their impact on research on extraversion. The nonverbal decoding task used in the present study differed from that of prior research by presenting scenes of natural, spontaneous, dyadic interactions for which an objective criterion for accuracy existed.