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Re:What makes one appear smarter and more sociable? by paulhauggis on Wednesday May 02, 2012 @08:19PM (#3921818)
"Similarly, being introverted doesn't mean you have low social skills."

I don't know how you can say that.

The definition here: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/introvert?s=t

implies low social skills.

Even when people discuss it here, they talk about wanting to be left alone, not going to parties because they aren't interested in socializing, and feeling "weak" after socializing for a short amount of time.

With all of this, I don't know how your social skills could ever be considered high.

Re:What makes one appear smarter and more sociable? by mmcdan on Wednesday May 02, 2012 @08:46PM (#3921892)
As an introvert, I can be a social butterfly at parties but need to leave after an hour because it felt like work. As an extrovert, I can be a wallower but want to stay out all night because the ambiance is energizing.
Re:What makes one appear smarter and more sociable? by B-Con on Thursday May 03, 2012 @12:19PM (#3924453)
No, that definition you linked to does not imply low social skills.

Social skills are the ability to make conversation, to make people feel comfortable, to engage others, etc.

Extroversion is the desire to do those things.

Yes, they are clearly correlated, but by absolutely no means interchangeable. There are plenty of introverts who have perfectly decent social skills, and plenty of extroverts who have terrible social skills, because the desire for something is not the same as having a skill for it. For example, an adolescent extrovert may feel strong motivation to be outgoing, loud, talkative, and active, but that doesn't mean he will have good social skills and be polite.

The most common psychological definition of extrovert and introvert that we currently use was largely shaped by Carl Jung, and his definition involves far more than just sociability. However, sociability is the easiest application. What it really comes down to (as the link you provided points out) is a focus on the "external world" vs the "internal world", so I use the word "are" in those two definitions above very loosely.

Re:What makes one appear smarter and more sociable? by noahc on Wednesday May 02, 2012 @09:20PM (#3921970)
Introvert has a definition which is colloquial, which is what you're pointing to.

It also has a definition used in psychology as well, which is something completely different, than the term used colloquially.

Re:What makes one appear smarter and more sociable? by lunchbox on Wednesday May 02, 2012 @08:43PM (#3921883)
Enjoying socializing (extraversion) != being good at it (social skills)