Psychologists have found that people who answer questions more slowly are perceived as more introverted. published research Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
Scientists conducted 14 different experiments with a total of 5160 participants. In all studies, participants either read a script, listened to an audio recording, or watched a video of the person answering the question. He either answered immediately or paused briefly, up to six seconds, before answering. The scenarios included several different situations, including small talk and job interviews. Additionally, answers ranged from one-word answers to long sentences.
It turned out that people who answered questions after a pause were seen as nervous and socially passive as well as more introverted. Moreover, such a judgment was made very quickly: a four-second response instead of two might be enough to appear like an introvert.
The scientists’ findings mean that response time may play a role in job interviews, as fast-moving people may be seen as more extroverted and therefore more likely to be hired for social positions.
The authors did not measure the accuracy of the participants’ judgments. However, their research draws attention to the fact that people rely heavily on various imperceptible bits of information when making social decisions and judgments. This requires them to be more careful and think analytically rather than intuitively.