Do you often find it difficult to give a definite answer when people ask whether you’re an introvert or extrovert?
Are you wondering why John, the social recluse you met yesterday who couldn’t wait to be away from people, suddenly turned out to be an absolute party animal with excellent social skills?
Before you chalk it off to bipolar disorder or a midlife crisis, you may want to learn more about two groups of people known as ambiverts and omniverts.
It feels like a lifetime ago when psychologists first proposed that everyone could fit into one of two boxes: introverts or extroverts. Back then, when they saw everything as black and white, it was hard to imagine anyone identifying as anything else. But with so many people displaying elements of both, it became apparent that there are several shades of grey along this personality spectrum.
We now know that extreme introverts and people who are extremely extroverted are a rarity, with people more likely to be somewhere in between the two.
Psychologists proposed personality theories such as the Big Five, which viewed introversion and extroversion as a spectrum rather than a binary function. They described ambiverts as those who achieve balance in the range — scoring midway on the introversion and extroversion scale. In contrast, omniverts exhibit traits of both introverted and extroverted people at different times — skipping from one end to another.
Since ambiverts and omniverts both possess the qualities of extroverts and introverts, telling them apart can be challenging.
Are you an ambivert or an omnivert? Let's help you find out!
Ambivert vs Omnivert Similarities
Although ambiverts and omniverts are generally different, they share a few things in common. The similarities between omniverts and ambiverts include:
- Both need to recharge their social batteries or re-energize from time to time; they usually tap into their introverted side and retreat into their personal space.
- Both may present different versions of themselves to different people.
- Both become drained after intense socializing.
- Both possess introverted and extroverted qualities.
Ambiverts vs Omniverts Differences
Many people wrongly interchange ambiverts and omniverts, believing they are the same. However, there are key differences, the biggest of which is that ambiverts display consistent behavior over time. They are highly adaptable and have the skills to meet the social demands of different social situations.
When a situation calls for small talk, even if they would prefer to be home reading a book, they can quickly adapt. They may feel drained when things are over, but they will get through it without experiencing the stress that a true introvert might.
In contrast, an omnivert can present as if they have two personalities and lack the emotional control of the ambiverted personality type. Unlike ambiverts, which we could describe as the "middle ground," omniverts may find it nearly impossible to gather enough social energy for even small group interactions when they are in full introvert mode. This is when they NEED their alone time.
But when their switch flips to their extroverted side, they can easily handle all social situations. And unlike ambiverts who do enjoy social gatherings but often hang in the background, many omniverts become the life of the party — just like full-blown extroverted people do.
If we compare the ambivert to an animal, it would be a chameleon. The omnivert, on the other hand, would be two — the lion and the lamb!
Confident that you're neither an introvert nor an extrovert, but unsure whether you're an ambivert or omnivert?
Let's look at the key differences between these two groups of people.
Ambivert vs Omnivert: Personality Type Definition
Ambiverts maintain a healthy balance between introversion and extroversion. They lean towards extroversion when attending social gatherings and introversion when they need to reflect internally or spend time alone. Omniverts are either complete introverts or extroverts, depending on their mood or situation. They switch from one extreme to the other without control over it.
Ambivert vs Omnivert: Personal Relationships
Omniverts need to keep two different sets of friends because when they are extroverts, they want to have fun and take risks with their extrovert friends. When their cycle changes to total introversion, they can't hang around their extroverted friends anymore, so they also need a few introverted friends. Ambiverts can control their emotions and behavior, so their relationships are usually stable. Their friends know what to expect from them most of the time.
Ambivert vs Omnivert: Social Events
Ambiverts aren’t natural social butterflies, but they can socialize when needed. They don’t usually stand out at parties; if they do, it doesn’t last long, and they may need the next few hours alone to recharge their social battery. Omniverts are unpredictable. They can be fun-loving, carefree party animals who steal the show or recluses who hate social settings. It depends on their cycle.
Ambivert vs Omnivert: Communication Style
Ambiverts may not always initiate conversations, especially around extroverts, but they do not retreat into their shells when they need to voice their opinions. They may feel reluctant and nervous when addressing a large group of people, but they can hold their own in front of a crowd. Omniverts can wow the audience in full extroverted mode, but they are reticent when the cycle changes.
Ambivert vs Omnivert: Workplace
Ambiverts don’t particularly have a preference in the way they work. They are comfortable working alone but equally adept at working with others. This habit is a throw of the dice with omniverts. One day, they eagerly brainstorm ideas and collaborate with colleagues; the next, they want to be far away from people.
Additionally, ambiverts thrive in careers where they can equally apply their extroverted and introverted qualities. They have excellent career prospects and are especially great at sales.
A study done by Adam Grant at The Wharton School shows that ambiverts will thrive better than introverts and extroverts in business and sales because they have just the right amount of introverted traits to listen to customer concerns and enough of the extroverted traits to convince them to buy the product. The study also shows that extreme extroverts and introverts perform poorly in sales, which doesn’t bode well for omniverts who don’t know how to balance the two sides of their personality.
Do you want to know your most suitable career choice related to how you score on the extraversion scale? Check out this article or take our premium career test.
Ambivert vs Omnivert: Leadership
Good leaders need a mix of introversion and extroversion to help them better relate to their subordinates and push them toward success. Ambiverts can channel their introversion to listen better and think creatively. They can also lean toward extroversion when brainstorming ideas, speaking publicly, and engaging in small talk. Omniverts may find it tricky to lead because of their unstable emotions.
Ambivert vs Omnivert: Emotional Stability
If you spend enough time around an omnivert, you will think you have met two different people. When the omnivert switches between total extroversion and introversion, their behavior changes completely, and they may dislike what they used to love. Ambiverts may lean toward extroversion or introversion to adapt to the changing environment. Still, they are emotionally stable and keep their behavior relatively consistent.
Personality Tests: How Do I Know If I'm an Ambivert or Omnivert?
In the past, knowing your personality carried little weight because people typically just wanted to satisfy their curiosity or have fun. However, most people now know that their personality helps them understand who they are and why they behave the way they do.
Additionally, personality sometimes determines effective communication style, suitable friendships, relationships, and career path — so much so that employers even use personality assessments to choose the right fit for their company.
While no test can specifically tell whether a person is an omnivert, some tests like the Big Five and the MBTI provide insight into where someone falls on the extroversion personality spectrum. Regarding personality assessments, there are a few similarities and key differences between the two.
Both ambiverts and omniverts may have a difficult time taking assessments that require them to make a forced "yes or no" choice because, to them, the correct answer is "sometimes" or "it depends."
Consider a question such as, "Do you like to go to parties." For pure extroverts or introverts, this is easy to answer. But for ambiverts who are social introverts, rather than a straight “yes,” their answer might be, "It depends on who is going to be there or how big of a party it will be."
And for the omnivert, the answer will depend upon whether they are self-aware of their personality changes. If they realize they have more than one side to their personality, they may respond, "Sometimes, if I am in the right on my mood." But if they are in full-blown extrovert mode, they will respond emphatically, "Yes." Introverted mode would yield a "no" response.
For ambiverts and omniverts, taking a self-assessment can be especially helpful because their personality can sometimes make them feel like they are two different people inside one body.
Ambivert vs. Omnivert: The Big Five
Psychologists agree that the Big Five is the most scientifically accurate personality test. It examines five key personality traits: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. As mentioned earlier, each of the characteristics is viewed as a continuum.
As expected, how a person scores for extroverted and introverted tendencies on the Big 5 is one of the best indicators of whether you are an introvert, extrovert, ambivert, or introvert.
- Pure extroverts will score high on the extroversion side of the spectrum, while an introvert will score high on the introverted side — and the scores will be consistent over time, even with repeat testing.
- You are probably an ambivert if you consistently score in the middle range of the introversion vs. extraversion scale. Ambiverts generally respond in a consistent way to questions over time, displaying a mix of introverted and extroverted characteristics.
- One of the biggest indicators that a person is an omnivert is that their extraversion and introversion scores will change significantly, from one extreme to another, when they take the Big Five test more than once. When they are in introvert mode, they will have a high introversion score, and vice versa when they are in extrovert mode.
Although not as significant in predicting whether a person is an ambivert or an omnivert, there may be some clues in the neuroticism scale. While both personalities can display different levels of emotional stability depending on many factors, it's not surprising that omniverts may score higher.
However, a self-aware omnivert —who recognizes that their personality type changes (and not necessarily due to external circumstances), who has accepted this is part of who they are, and who has learned coping mechanisms to recharge their social energy — can score well for emotional stability, too.
Ambivert vs Omnivert: The MBTI
The Myers Briggs Type Indicator classifies everyone into 16 personalities by focusing on four key areas, each with two "sides." According to the MBTI, each personality type is determined by how people fall in introversion vs. extroversion, sensing vs. intuition, thinking vs. feeling, and judging vs. perceiving.
Unlike the Big 5, where extroverted and introverted qualities are looked at in isolation from other personality traits, in the MBTI, the extraversion scale is part of all 16 personality types.
While there is no specific "ambivert MBTI type," four of the 16 types are more likely to view themselves as ambiverts. They are the introverted ISFJs and INFJs and the extroverted ENFPs and ENTPs. Having any of these types does not mean that you are an ambivert, but if you are an ambivert, you have a higher probability of having one of them.
As for whether the MBTI can tell you if you are an omnivert, the answer is a conditional "no." The condition is that if you take the test more than once and get results that are opposite on your introversion vs. extroversion scales. Assuming that you do not have a mental illness, are not experiencing a depressive episode, and are not dealing with cognitive issues, this may be a sign that you are an omnivert.
Even though the Myers Briggs Type Indicator can not tell if you are an ambivert or an omnivert, you can still learn about yourself by taking the assessment.
Ambivert vs Omnivert: Depression and Burnout
Test for burnout and depression tests won’t tell you your personality, but they are global issues affecting many people. Research shows that some personalities are even more susceptible than others due to their nature.
For example, omniverts exert so much energy when they display their extremely extroverted side that they are prone to burnout. They recharge by spending several days away from people. This back-and-forth intense emotional rollercoaster, especially the one that requires total solitude, might put them at risk of depression.
Meanwhile, ambiverts generally handle stress better due to their highly adaptable nature. However, this does not make them immune to depression and burnout.
Are Ambiverts Better than Omniverts?
All personalities have unique advantages that help them stand out.
However, expert researchers and psychologists believe that ambiverts are generally better than omniverts. Their studies show that ambiverts excel better than introverts and extroverts in areas like business, leadership, etc.
Most researchers also believe that everyone has a mixture of extroversion and introversion within themselves, and ambiverts make up 50-60% of the human population, so they are more common than you think. There are no “numbers” on how many people are omniverts because it’s a relatively new concept.
The omniverts' most significant disadvantage is their inability to control the sudden switch in their personality, making them seem erratic and emotionally unstable.
If you are an omnivert, you must learn to identify the situations that trigger your sudden switch from one extreme to another and avoid those situations or find coping mechanisms to deal with those triggers. Working on your social skills so that you can better adapt when you are in a situation that doesn’t match your mood is a good place to start.
No matter your personality, you can continually improve by identifying and working on your weaknesses.
