Is it all in the eye of the beholder? Examining the affective consequences of direct and indirect measures of counterdispositional extraversion

Abstract

Although a majority of studies show that acting in a more extraverted way is beneficial for one’s well-being, there are also indications that acting counterdispositionally is emotionally draining. In the current study, we try to explain these discrepancies by comparing indirect measures of counterdispositional extraversion (one relative to the trait level and one relative to the average state level) and we introduce a novel direct measure that taps into perceived counterdispositional extraversion. By using Multilevel Polynomial Regression and Response Surface Analysis in a large ESM dataset (N = 187 individuals and N = 17,547 repeated observations), we found that for both direct and indirect measures of counterdispositional extraversion, higher state levels of extraversion related to higher levels of positive affect (PA), and this effect appears to be stronger for individuals high on average state and trait extraversion. Findings for negative affect (NA) were less consistent, with perceived deviations from one’s typical behavior relating to higher levels of NA. Altogether, our findings show that acting in a more extraverted way is better for increasing PA, on the understanding that subjective experiences of atypical behavior can be experienced as harmful.

Plain language summary

In everyday life, people are not always able to act in ways that feel natural to them. For example, extraverts do not always behave in an extraverted manner, and introverts do not always behave introvertedly. Although research has shown that acting in a more extraverted way is generally beneficial for one's well-being, there are also indications that acting out of character (i.e., acting “counterdispositionally”) can be emotionally draining. In this study, we aim to better understand the relationship between counterdispositional extraversion and well-being by examining both direct and indirect measures of counterdispositional extraversion. For the indirect measure, individuals' momentary state extraversion (i.e., how extraverted someone acts at a specific moment) is compared to their trait or average state level (i.e., how extraverted someone acts in general). Additionally, we introduce a direct measure that captures subjective experiences of counterdispositional behavior, allowing participants to directly rate the extent to which they believe they behaved differently from their typical behavior. Participants reported on their positive affect, negative affect, state extraversion, and perceived counterdispositional behavior five times a day over a four-week period. Results showed that for both direct and indirect measures of counterdispositional extraversion, higher levels of state extraversion were associated with higher levels of positive affect. However, findings for perceived counterdispositional extraversion showed that deviations from one's typical behavior were associated with higher levels of negative affect. Altogether, our findings suggest that acting more extraverted can boost positive affect, although perceived deviations from typical behavior may be experienced as harmful, as they relate to increased negative affect.