The next mission to Mars might rely on introverts.

According to a study released this week titled "Extroverted Team Members as a Liability in Long Duration Space Exploration," extroverts might cause more social friction than introverts on long-term travel missions to Mars -- but that does not mean extroverts cannot travel to the red planet.

The study was conducted by DePaul University associate psychology professor Suzanne Bell, who has been examining how NASA could build the best team for missions to Mars, Smithsonian.com reported. The study says talkative people could create friction if put in a small space with less talkative people.

Part of the goal of the study was to determine what personalities are best suited to travel on long space missions. Introverts seem to be preferred.

The study reveals that during a spacecraft simulation, two introverted space crew members -- reserved and less talkative -- appeared to leave the lone extroverted team member adrift. In other words, the less talkative crews members shunned the one who talked too much, Live Science reported.

Simply put, extroverts need stimulation, and expressing themselves is part of their nature, but on a three-year mission with little to do, their need to talk could harm the team dynamic and the workload because they would not feel stimulated. Imagine an isolated small group of people with one person who always wants to talk, while the others are less social, Bell contends that the less social ones could be annoyed in that environment, Live Science reported. The movie "Gravity" has a good example in George Clooney's talkative character and Sandra Bullock's more reserved character.

The NASA-funded study adds that having only extroverts for long-term exploration is suboptimal because introverts could handle it more easily, Popular Mechanics reported. While extroverts are talkative, and more social, adjusting to a new planetary situation might also be an issue because of the large amount of scientific research to be done; extroverts could get bored having nothing else to do.

The plus side of having extroverts, Bell says, is that they communicate clearly, they can drive conversations, they are very good at planning, and they know who is in charge of what, The Space Reporter confirmed. Extroverts can see the big picture, and they can forge social connections easily.  

It is all about finding the right balance of personality types, Bell confirms. Examining these types of behaviors is only one factor researchers are proposing, and it helps them identify what types of personalities clash. 

Other factors researchers have to account for on longer trips include genetics, multi-generational travels and how people work through conflict on long missions rather than walking away (which they wouldn't be able to do), Smithsonian.com reported.