I know I've talked about introversion before on this little blog of mine. I am what I am. For Christmas, Danny gave me the book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. It is by Susan Cain, who I posted a Ted talk by before. Anyway, I loved this book. It was rather fascinating and validating.
Introversion/Extroversion is the most defining aspect of one's personality. Introverts generally have high sensitivity to their surroundings, so they need solitude to re-energize. Extroverts generally have low sensitivity to their surroundings, so they find being around people and novelty energizing. Cain does make it clear that there are some exceptions to this, but it is the case for the majority of people. Being an introvert doesn't necessarily mean you are shy, which is a common misconception. Also, there is such thing of an ambivert, which means you are in the middle range of both introversion and extroversion. Danny turns out to be one of these balanced ambiverts. No wonder he is so likable to all.
Cain has done a ton of research and shares many studies and stories that help us understand introverts and extroverts a bit more. I particularly found the study concerning in what situations introverts and extroverts make better leaders interesting. Also, another cool study shares that there are introverts and extroverts even in the animal kingdom. The groups of animals who survive the longest are herds who have both introverts and extroverts not just one or the other. See people? We got to work together. I also learned that different aspects of my personality are actually connected to introversion, such as why I'm not great at "winging it", why I'm a saver and not a spender and why I have a hard time with violent television.
I also found it helpful to hear how open floor plans are not productive in corporate America and doesn't contribute to extra creativity. How do I get the higher ups at work read that section? Also, since introverts and extroverts tend to marry each other ("He's such a good listener" "She's so easy to talk to..."), Cain covers how extroverts and introverts perceive disagreements and how they argue differently. Good to know for pretty much every family. She has a whole chapter of how to encourage introverted children, especially in the school atmosphere, which pushes for extroversion. I love her advice of how you should stop telling your kids they are shy, or worse, stop telling them not to be shy. It's not helpful. One extroverted dad had a very introverted daughter and learned it just took her longer to jump in to group activities and new experiences. He encouraged her by telling her, it was ok to stand back and observe first, that she just had her own style.
Anyway, I highly recommend this book for everyone, not just introverts. It's really fascinating and helps you have better insight into your relationships with both your introverted and extroverted friends and family members.
Jan's Rating:
Introversion/Extroversion is the most defining aspect of one's personality. Introverts generally have high sensitivity to their surroundings, so they need solitude to re-energize. Extroverts generally have low sensitivity to their surroundings, so they find being around people and novelty energizing. Cain does make it clear that there are some exceptions to this, but it is the case for the majority of people. Being an introvert doesn't necessarily mean you are shy, which is a common misconception. Also, there is such thing of an ambivert, which means you are in the middle range of both introversion and extroversion. Danny turns out to be one of these balanced ambiverts. No wonder he is so likable to all.
Cain has done a ton of research and shares many studies and stories that help us understand introverts and extroverts a bit more. I particularly found the study concerning in what situations introverts and extroverts make better leaders interesting. Also, another cool study shares that there are introverts and extroverts even in the animal kingdom. The groups of animals who survive the longest are herds who have both introverts and extroverts not just one or the other. See people? We got to work together. I also learned that different aspects of my personality are actually connected to introversion, such as why I'm not great at "winging it", why I'm a saver and not a spender and why I have a hard time with violent television.
I also found it helpful to hear how open floor plans are not productive in corporate America and doesn't contribute to extra creativity. How do I get the higher ups at work read that section? Also, since introverts and extroverts tend to marry each other ("He's such a good listener" "She's so easy to talk to..."), Cain covers how extroverts and introverts perceive disagreements and how they argue differently. Good to know for pretty much every family. She has a whole chapter of how to encourage introverted children, especially in the school atmosphere, which pushes for extroversion. I love her advice of how you should stop telling your kids they are shy, or worse, stop telling them not to be shy. It's not helpful. One extroverted dad had a very introverted daughter and learned it just took her longer to jump in to group activities and new experiences. He encouraged her by telling her, it was ok to stand back and observe first, that she just had her own style.
Anyway, I highly recommend this book for everyone, not just introverts. It's really fascinating and helps you have better insight into your relationships with both your introverted and extroverted friends and family members.
Jan's Rating:
I'm sold...this sounds so interesting!!
ReplyDeleteYou should read it! I would love to hear your thoughts on it.
DeleteDad wants to read this book and so do I. I've noticed in my life though that people often change. Those who were once extroverts can become more introverted and introverts can become more extroverted. Sometimes it depends on the situation you are in too. The important thing is to become comfortable with yourself and what kind of person you want to be.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I do agree that people can work on their weakness and become more balanced with really anything, not just these personality traits.
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