Are You An Introvert?

February 6, 2012

Interview with Susan Cain, author of the book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

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Mike Carruthers:
Being shy and being an introvert are not the same thing.

Susan Cain:
Shyness is more the fear of social judgment and introversion is simply the preference for less stimulating environments including less socially stimulating environments.
 

Susan Cain, author of the book Quiet, says shyness feels uncomfortable, introversion does not yet many introverts feel it is a character flaw.

It is not a character flaw it is a perfectly normal personality trait. And many of our greatest achievers, thinkers, leaders have been shy, have been introverted and that they did these things not in spite of their temperaments but because of them - that there’s a value to this temperament that we are failing to appreciate.

There are a lot more introverts than you probably think.

The latest studies show that it’s anywhere from a third to a half of all Americans are introverts. Of course that’s 1 out of every 2 or 3 people you know. I think that statistic surprises many people and the reason it’s so surprising is we have a bias in this society of introversion and therefore most introverts act much more extroverted than they really are.

Susan says that introverts need to understand that that character trait is likely not something that’s going to change.

Once they start to understand what it is they have a kind of an awakening. They realize you know this is who I am and I actually would prefer to be able to spend more time either on my own or just doing something quiet.
 

To hear the complete unedited interview, click here