The people best suited for missions to Mars and other distant points in space may be too shy to volunteer. In a NASA funded study, psychology researchers at DuPaul University have been looking at the question of which personality types are best suited to prolonged missions in space. The research suggests that, for several reasons, having extroverts on board could be a disadvantage.

Extroverts are generally people who are gregarious, sociable, assertive, outgoing and energetic. If, however, you are selecting a small group of people to spend up to three years together in a confined space, these traits could be detrimental to crew morale.

“You’re talking about a very tiny vehicle, where people are in very isolated, very confined spaces. Extroverts have a little bit of a tough time in that situation,” said Suzanne Bell, an associate professor of psychology at DePaul, to LiveScience.

In simulated space missions of just 100 days, an extroverted crew member was ostracized by the rest of the crew for being too “brash” and talking too much. The study suggests that additional training may help extroverted individuals to prepare for long term missions and enable them to socialize more effectively with the rest of the crew. However, extroverts may find themselves having to overcome some very basic personal traits.

“People who are extroverted might have a hard time coping because they want to be doing a lot; they want to be engaged in a lot of things. And [on these missions], there won’t be that much to do — things become monotonous after a while, and you’re seeing the same people,” said study researcher Shanique Brown.

In other words, extroverts may find themselves getting bored very quickly. The natural tendency of extroverts will be to relieve the boredom by socializing with their fellow crew members. They would have to learn to cope with the boredom while, at the same time, minimizing socialization with individuals with whom they are sharing a confined space.

Bell noted that she does not believe that a team made entirely of introverts is an ideal solution either. Finding the right balance would require additional study, she posited.

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