Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking is a book from an American author and lecturer Susan Cain. The book was published in January 2012 and has received a Goodreads Choice Awards for best Nonfiction. Quiet explores the fundamental dimension of extrovert and introvert ideals and how each of them are treated differently in society. The book is told in a very friendly way where there are real life stories from the people she interviewed plus her own experience and research. The book is divided into four parts but I will focus mainly on one of them, which is The Extrovert Ideal so that those who are interest can go support the author.

Before starting the analysis of the piece, I want to say that this book has touched my feelings countless times because of many reasons. First, it’s one of the few books or maybe the only book that shed lights into the world of introverts and actually calls out that the quiet and the sensitive have been overlooked, that the loudest have taken over the society leaving no place for introverted people. Secondly, there's a sense of relief that someone is trying to tell the world that the practices(eg. groupwork) that evole around the idea of extrovert is taking over and it is time for the society to at least stop and listen to those silence. Third, there are many sections in the book that I can relate and agree upon due to the fact that some of them were real life experiences that I once had.

The Extrovert Ideal

The first chapter introduces the ideal personality of the society and talks about how the world cherishes those individuals who’s comfortable to be in the light, not those who are shy and sensitive. It is said in the book that “We’re told that to be great is to be bold, to be happy is to be sociable”. One example of an extrovert that this book gave is a famous author, self-help seminar Tony Robbins. Susan shares her experience joining one of Tony seminars where he would teach you his theory of “Practical Psychology”. There, Tony would do exercises that help enhance your strength and one of the most famous events is the Firewalking exercise where attendees would walk across a row of heated coal and those who succeed without getting injured are considered to be more successful.

“Introversion – along with its cousin sensitivity, seriousness, and shyness–is now a second-class personality trait”. Sensitive and shy people are seen as weak but they are born having a deeper feelings on things than others. Because people overlook these traits and view a talkative person as someone who is smarter and those who are brave as more attractive. I find this to be very true because of my own experience living in a culture that encourages people to speak up and to always promote being in a group rather than being alone. In my opinion, I think that many industry needs to be aware by now that some of us are not comfortable being in the light. To be able to reach the level equivalent to the majority, it requires a lot of effort and practice in front of the mirror.

When Collaboration Kills Creativity

Another topic that she mentioned in the book is that individualism is overlooked especially in education or the creative field. Susan Cain really did a great job in unfolding one of the mistaken thoughts that people usually have and it is that group work is better than individual work. She talks about how the rise of 'groupthink' is killing creativity and provide an example of an American pioneer Steve Wozniak, the inventor of the first Apple computer. During the time he was working, he would be alone and attend meetings with like-minded people to share some ideas once a week. The book quotes his memoir of him saying,

“I’m going to give you some advice that might be hard to take. That advice is: Work alone. You’re going to be best able to design revolutionary products and features if you’re working on your own. Not on a committee. Not on a team.”

Although Wozniak is one of a kind and that everyone won’t end up like him, what he said is surprisingly true to me. For all my years in college, I have done several group and individual projects and I have found that working alone rather than having to brainstorm in teams often time results in a more preferable way. One may feel that their creativity spiked dramatically especially on long nights that one sit down in thier own space creating while listening to the favorite playlist. Not that brainstorming with teams is not a great way to find new ideas, some work is just meant to be done alone.

Conclusion

The book Quiet by Susan Cain has dramatically changed how many view introverts as well as understanding why society is cherishing extroverts. I think those who want to understand what introverted people think and do should consider this book as a guide but those who are interested in this book would enjoy the knowledge that the author offers. Susan Cain fantastically uses interviews based on real life stories of many interesting individuals(HBS students, salesmen, scientists etc.) that can be found in her book to help portray and understand what it is like to be an introvert in a world that can’t stop talking.

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