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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
Empowers the introverts, enlightens the extroverts.
Also, last chapter is very helpful for parents who may have an introverted child.
Author also does a Ted Talk, which is a QUICK version of the book.
https://youtu.be/c0KYU2j0TM4
Also, last chapter is very helpful for parents who may have an introverted child.
Author also does a Ted Talk, which is a QUICK version of the book.
https://youtu.be/c0KYU2j0TM4
An excellent and insightful read.
A catalyst for personal discovery.
A catalyst for personal discovery.
really interesting information.
very good if you are in a relationship with an introvert and don't get it. and helpful as introvert to understand why the extroverts don't get it.
very good if you are in a relationship with an introvert and don't get it. and helpful as introvert to understand why the extroverts don't get it.
This was a very well written book, I was captivated by it and loved all the information I learned. It read kind of like a novel, but in reality it was very educational. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the fact that at the end of the book there was no "this is the link between being introverted and extroverted". Like I still feel I have a better handle on what makes people tick and why they are introverted and extroverted but I don't know. I still feel something is missing, I feel like there wasn't an ending. But maybe that's just me and how it's suppose to be!
Would highly recommend to those who enjoy psychology books, personality and behavior books.
Would highly recommend to those who enjoy psychology books, personality and behavior books.
I’ve wanted to read Quiet by Susan Cain ever since I saw her TedTalk and, luckily, I found it on my aunt’s bookshelf a few months ago. Between university readings and seminars, but mostly in big chunks of reading & some afternoons this holiday, I managed to finish it. It’s a very easy read and seems well-researched, combining interesting personal narratives with scientific studies.
The book is divided into four main parts, the first presenting the “extroversion ideal” in our contemporary occidental society, the second showing studies related to biological bases for our temperament, the third dealing with cultural differences just a little bit and the fourth with advices on how to manage living in the “loud” world. Without going into detail, I think it’s easy to see how the West values extroversion, sociability, talking in public, being a good leader, aggressive, popular and loud, assertive and unflinching. This focus however fails to see all the good things about being an introvert (or having one nearby), like Susan Cain shows us: a quiet power, a tenacity to follow your goals, careful thinking and deep introspection. Studies on children and adults seem to show that introversion/extraversion is innate: introverts are physically more sensitive to the environment, the react more strongly and feel more, generally. Extroverts seem to be more sensitive to gratification, making them more likely to act head on, without thinking; they seem to be more “cool” in all senses, both detached and likely to make a good impression. Apparently the two “kinds” process dopamine differently, introverts being more oriented towards avoiding threat. How do they end up doing amazing things nonetheless? Cain mentiones Mihaly Csikszentmihaly’s theory on flux, a state in which you pursue your passion for its own reason, blissfully. In the fourth part the author shows how Asian Americans handle the extroversion ideal of outside society, while being encouraged inside their own family to be polite rather than assertive, to stay at home and study rather than socialize. Its main argument is, I think, to show how relative the ideal is: if you swap kids, what is normal in one family/culture is abnormal in another.
Susan Cain does a beautiful work of revealing the power of introversion into a fast-pace & loud world, the great work introverts have done over the centuries, as well as the great contribution they can still bring, if only one makes the effort to listen. I liked the book and it made me feel more at ease with identifying as an introvert, although of course it’s more of a continuum than a fixed state. I would have liked more information on the cultural and individual psychological aspects, rather than the fixed, general biological traits, but maybe that could be the subject of another book. All in all, a good read.
The book is divided into four main parts, the first presenting the “extroversion ideal” in our contemporary occidental society, the second showing studies related to biological bases for our temperament, the third dealing with cultural differences just a little bit and the fourth with advices on how to manage living in the “loud” world. Without going into detail, I think it’s easy to see how the West values extroversion, sociability, talking in public, being a good leader, aggressive, popular and loud, assertive and unflinching. This focus however fails to see all the good things about being an introvert (or having one nearby), like Susan Cain shows us: a quiet power, a tenacity to follow your goals, careful thinking and deep introspection. Studies on children and adults seem to show that introversion/extraversion is innate: introverts are physically more sensitive to the environment, the react more strongly and feel more, generally. Extroverts seem to be more sensitive to gratification, making them more likely to act head on, without thinking; they seem to be more “cool” in all senses, both detached and likely to make a good impression. Apparently the two “kinds” process dopamine differently, introverts being more oriented towards avoiding threat. How do they end up doing amazing things nonetheless? Cain mentiones Mihaly Csikszentmihaly’s theory on flux, a state in which you pursue your passion for its own reason, blissfully. In the fourth part the author shows how Asian Americans handle the extroversion ideal of outside society, while being encouraged inside their own family to be polite rather than assertive, to stay at home and study rather than socialize. Its main argument is, I think, to show how relative the ideal is: if you swap kids, what is normal in one family/culture is abnormal in another.
Susan Cain does a beautiful work of revealing the power of introversion into a fast-pace & loud world, the great work introverts have done over the centuries, as well as the great contribution they can still bring, if only one makes the effort to listen. I liked the book and it made me feel more at ease with identifying as an introvert, although of course it’s more of a continuum than a fixed state. I would have liked more information on the cultural and individual psychological aspects, rather than the fixed, general biological traits, but maybe that could be the subject of another book. All in all, a good read.
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
The book that helped me understand my introverterted self better and made me stop feeling guilty about it.
Growing up as an introvert was certainly hard. I have to go through difficult situations that requires to mentally push myself beyond what is required or expected of me that sometimes it becomes exhausting to maintain it just to be socially acceptable in casual situations, in work, or even in a simple family gathering. The psychological strain this puts introverts such as myself is mentally draining that sometimes it affects me function to well. I didn’t know it then that my introversion has something to do with it, I always believed that there is something wrong with me that needs fixing or improving. But reading this book helped me understand that being an introvert was never a weakness, although at times it can be frustrating, but it is a limiting part of who I am.
In this book, the author @susancainauthor backed up her research with facts, science and statistcs to show that “introverts are greatly successful and powerful, not in spite of their introversion, but BECAUSE of it.” I guess one of the many things the author wanted to point out is to “not denigrate those who forge ahead quickly (the outgoing, the extrovert), or to blindly glorify the reflective and careful ones (the introvert) but instead to find a balance between action and reflection”. She also asserted carefully with facts in which both personality types have an extremely important part to play in our world and the importance of having a balance between the two.
I also appreciated that she includes on how both personalities have a unique role and impact in the spiritual/evangelical aspects, and questions about nature vs nurture.
“The book of Exodus is short on explication, but its stories suggest that introversion plays yin to the yang of extroversion; that the medium is not always the message; and that people followed Moses because his words were thoughtful, not because he spoke them well.”
Growing up as an introvert was certainly hard. I have to go through difficult situations that requires to mentally push myself beyond what is required or expected of me that sometimes it becomes exhausting to maintain it just to be socially acceptable in casual situations, in work, or even in a simple family gathering. The psychological strain this puts introverts such as myself is mentally draining that sometimes it affects me function to well. I didn’t know it then that my introversion has something to do with it, I always believed that there is something wrong with me that needs fixing or improving. But reading this book helped me understand that being an introvert was never a weakness, although at times it can be frustrating, but it is a limiting part of who I am.
In this book, the author @susancainauthor backed up her research with facts, science and statistcs to show that “introverts are greatly successful and powerful, not in spite of their introversion, but BECAUSE of it.” I guess one of the many things the author wanted to point out is to “not denigrate those who forge ahead quickly (the outgoing, the extrovert), or to blindly glorify the reflective and careful ones (the introvert) but instead to find a balance between action and reflection”. She also asserted carefully with facts in which both personality types have an extremely important part to play in our world and the importance of having a balance between the two.
I also appreciated that she includes on how both personalities have a unique role and impact in the spiritual/evangelical aspects, and questions about nature vs nurture.
“The book of Exodus is short on explication, but its stories suggest that introversion plays yin to the yang of extroversion; that the medium is not always the message; and that people followed Moses because his words were thoughtful, not because he spoke them well.”
A bit long and anecdotal for me when there was pretty much a couple main ideas to take away from this, but will plan to re-read this after I have kids as I love what Cain has to say about giving introverted children the right environment to grow in.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
A deeply validating read for those of us who feel misunderstood for being introverted, sensitive, introspective, who love solitude, loathe small talk, and are tired of cosplaying extroversion, or are simply different from the extroverted characterisitcs celebrated and expected in society.
The book draws from studies on temperament (high vs low reactivity) and sensory processing sensitivity to explain the biological and psychological underpinnings of introversion. It's, again, very validating to be offered these explanations to why we think, feel, and process the world as we do.
The author leaves us with practical tools to thrive in a world that often favours extroverts. Almost every quirk of introversion that I personally hate about myself is reframed as a superpower that I can leverage in my personal and professional life.