The end of the Christmas and New Year party season may mean that the emotional tone of early January appears somewhat quiet and downbeat, perhaps in contrast to the previous social whirl of December, and therefore many may well feel correspondingly gloomy right now.

However, it could be that extraverts, the personality type defined by psychologists as more outgoing and sociable, will feel particularly deprived of socializing opportunities at this more subdued time of the year, and maybe it is this character profile who will be feeling most glum around now.

In contrast, introverts are often referred to as the more shy disposition type, who tend to prefer more solitary pastimes, like reading a good book, to going out and partying. They may now be relieved that the recent incessant social pressure to be jolly and make small talk, required of the party season, has now, at last, subsided.

Broadly speaking, psychologists have tended to associate introversion as being the more inherently problematic of the two leanings. For example, introverts may not speak up enough in work meetings and therefore may miss out on promotion, even though they may be just as technically competent, if not more so, than their more dominant extravert colleagues.

Research following the careers of shy children finds that some can outgrow their shyness and end up with better employment trajectories as a result. However, those who remain more persistently socially fearful into adulthood tend not to be as occupationally successful as those who are less avoidant.

Some experts have argued that the rise of social media means extraversion is more favored in modern society; for example, Instagram appears to require incessant image posting, suggesting an........

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