Title: Quiet – The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
Author: Susan Cain
Publisher: Penguin Viking, 2012 (First)
ISBN: 9780670916764
Pages: 333
One out of every two or three people is an introvert, who feels unsettled in company, tries to avoid public view and prefers to settle down calmly in the peace of a favourite niche. Their social life is difficult as they lack the ability to connect to a large group of people effortlessly. In the modern society which prefers extroverts to handle its economic prospects, this temperamental peculiarity puts a good number of people, probably almost half of them, at a disadvantage which they don’t deserve. This book takes up the question of introversion, analyses the pathways in which this condition is manifested and more importantly, how to handle them if one happens to be your spouse, child, friend or colleague. Susan Cain is an American writer and lecturer who was also a former lawyer and negotiations consultant.
We live with a value system that places extroversion as the ideal for a successful life. This makes introverts experience stress in their studies and careers. Cain argues that this value system is inherently flawed. If introverts lack social skills, they are more than compensated by the ability to tune in to their inner worlds and the treasures to be found there. There are introverted people who act like extroverts and still be successful professionally. These closet introverts pass undetected in public spaces until some life event such as winning a lottery or inheriting a large sum of money jolts them into taking stock of their true natures. Introverts are scientifically identified as possessing a very distinct personality only a century ago. Jung defined introverts as those who are drawn to the inner world of thought and feeling and extroverts to the external life of people and activities. Introverts focus on the meaning they make of the events swishing around them while extroverts plunge into the events themselves. Introverts charge their batteries by being alone and extroverts do this when they socialize.
Cain discusses about the physiological traits in human brain that makes introverts special. There is an area called amygdala in the brain which is its emotional switchboard receiving information from the senses and then signaling the rest of the brain and nervous system how to respond. It detects new and threatening things in the environment. This area is more sensitive and easily triggered in introverts which force them to be apprehensive to new things and experiences. Infants born with an especially excitable amygdala would wiggle and howl when shown unfamiliar objects. They grow up to be children who are more likely to feel vigilant when meeting new people. Likewise, there is a neural basis for extroversion also. The nucleus accumbens, the brain’s pleasure centre, is a part of the limbic system which we share with the most primitive mammals. It is emotional and instinctive that prompts the animal to seek and maximize pleasure at any cost. The activity in this area is regulated by the neocortex – or new brain – evolved many thousands of years after the limbic system. This part is responsible for thinking, planning and language, the very faculties that make us human. It is the seat of rationality that moderates the impulses of the limbic system. In extroverts, the old brain predominates a tad too much than introverts. However, nurturing has a major role in shaping up personality, but the book gives a clear hint that genetic factors remain more decisive than environmental ones.
Contrary to popular expectations, the author asserts that there is no field of social activity that is out of bounds for introverts. They may not enjoy what they are doing, but the efficacy of the performance would be indistinguishable from that of extroverts. Such a person donning the mantle of an extrovert needs to withdraw occasionally to some restorative niche to re-energize. On the leadership question, she finds instances where introverts are ideally suited, such as teams where creative subordinates work under them. In this case, the leader gets more from the team as he would be a good listener and lacks interest in dominating social situations. Introverts are more likely to hear and implement suggestions from his team members.
Cain also looks at the issue of racial predilection among introverts. Asian Americans tend to be more introverted, mainly due to cultural bias. Here, the examples are only from China, Korea and Japan which is extrapolated to Asia as a whole. Individuals in Asia are taught to see themselves as part of a greater whole. They often subordinate their desires to the group’s interests, accepting their place in the hierarchy. This is too sweeping a generalization as to carry any conviction. It seems that the author goes by folk wisdom rather than serious scientific research. In the same vein, westerners value boldness and verbal skills – traits that promote individuality – while Asians prize quiet, humility and sensitivity that foster group cohesion. Cain categorically affirms that this does not mean that one is superior to the other, but that a profound difference in cultural values has a powerful impact on the personality styles favoured by each culture. Or in other words, the book concludes that introverts and extroverts are equally likely to be agreeable and that introverts are in no way antisocial.
The book introduces a good number of personality tests which are new to most readers. These tests measure up peculiar aspects of a person’s inherent nature. It also dispels some commonly believed myths such as venting anger soothes. The author denies this and claims that instead, it fuels it (p.233). This is a postulate of the catharsis hypothesis which is claimed to be a myth. The book is leant too heavily on the sociological domain and not even glances on the microbiological side of the same story. As a result, the genetic sources of introversion are not given any consideration. This is a serious drawback on an otherwise well readable book.
We live with a value system that places extroversion as the ideal for a successful life. This makes introverts experience stress in their studies and careers. Cain argues that this value system is inherently flawed. If introverts lack social skills, they are more than compensated by the ability to tune in to their inner worlds and the treasures to be found there. There are introverted people who act like extroverts and still be successful professionally. These closet introverts pass undetected in public spaces until some life event such as winning a lottery or inheriting a large sum of money jolts them into taking stock of their true natures. Introverts are scientifically identified as possessing a very distinct personality only a century ago. Jung defined introverts as those who are drawn to the inner world of thought and feeling and extroverts to the external life of people and activities. Introverts focus on the meaning they make of the events swishing around them while extroverts plunge into the events themselves. Introverts charge their batteries by being alone and extroverts do this when they socialize.
Cain discusses about the physiological traits in human brain that makes introverts special. There is an area called amygdala in the brain which is its emotional switchboard receiving information from the senses and then signaling the rest of the brain and nervous system how to respond. It detects new and threatening things in the environment. This area is more sensitive and easily triggered in introverts which force them to be apprehensive to new things and experiences. Infants born with an especially excitable amygdala would wiggle and howl when shown unfamiliar objects. They grow up to be children who are more likely to feel vigilant when meeting new people. Likewise, there is a neural basis for extroversion also. The nucleus accumbens, the brain’s pleasure centre, is a part of the limbic system which we share with the most primitive mammals. It is emotional and instinctive that prompts the animal to seek and maximize pleasure at any cost. The activity in this area is regulated by the neocortex – or new brain – evolved many thousands of years after the limbic system. This part is responsible for thinking, planning and language, the very faculties that make us human. It is the seat of rationality that moderates the impulses of the limbic system. In extroverts, the old brain predominates a tad too much than introverts. However, nurturing has a major role in shaping up personality, but the book gives a clear hint that genetic factors remain more decisive than environmental ones.
Contrary to popular expectations, the author asserts that there is no field of social activity that is out of bounds for introverts. They may not enjoy what they are doing, but the efficacy of the performance would be indistinguishable from that of extroverts. Such a person donning the mantle of an extrovert needs to withdraw occasionally to some restorative niche to re-energize. On the leadership question, she finds instances where introverts are ideally suited, such as teams where creative subordinates work under them. In this case, the leader gets more from the team as he would be a good listener and lacks interest in dominating social situations. Introverts are more likely to hear and implement suggestions from his team members.
Cain also looks at the issue of racial predilection among introverts. Asian Americans tend to be more introverted, mainly due to cultural bias. Here, the examples are only from China, Korea and Japan which is extrapolated to Asia as a whole. Individuals in Asia are taught to see themselves as part of a greater whole. They often subordinate their desires to the group’s interests, accepting their place in the hierarchy. This is too sweeping a generalization as to carry any conviction. It seems that the author goes by folk wisdom rather than serious scientific research. In the same vein, westerners value boldness and verbal skills – traits that promote individuality – while Asians prize quiet, humility and sensitivity that foster group cohesion. Cain categorically affirms that this does not mean that one is superior to the other, but that a profound difference in cultural values has a powerful impact on the personality styles favoured by each culture. Or in other words, the book concludes that introverts and extroverts are equally likely to be agreeable and that introverts are in no way antisocial.
The book introduces a good number of personality tests which are new to most readers. These tests measure up peculiar aspects of a person’s inherent nature. It also dispels some commonly believed myths such as venting anger soothes. The author denies this and claims that instead, it fuels it (p.233). This is a postulate of the catharsis hypothesis which is claimed to be a myth. The book is leant too heavily on the sociological domain and not even glances on the microbiological side of the same story. As a result, the genetic sources of introversion are not given any consideration. This is a serious drawback on an otherwise well readable book.
The book is recommended.
Rating: 3 Star
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