An article came out today in USA Today about a new book by Susan Cain who spent five years studying Introverts and their counterparts, Extroverts. The book is called Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. The article highlighted some of the topics in the book. It reinforced some of my learning from the summer about the misconceptions of Introverts.
People often confuse introversion with shyness, but “shyness refers to how much social anxiety or discomfort you feel,” Sills says.
Jonathan Cheek, a professor of personality psychology at Wellesley College in Massachusetts has studied shyness for 30 years. “Some shy people have social anxiety but are not really introverted, and plenty of introverts are not shy. Introversion has zero relationship with shyness.”
The article and the book claim that Introverts are under-appreciated and that our society (especially in the work place) places a greater value on extraversion. I had never thought about this in terms of societal values, but it is an interesting theory. I am an Extrovert, so I do not have a different perspective. I would love some comments or feedback from an Introvert if you feel this perception is true?
Link to the full article: http://yourlife.usatoday.com/mind-soul/story/2012-01-23/Time-for-introverts-to-get-some-appreciation/52761332/1
Link to the Book: http://www.thepowerofintroverts.com/about-the-book/
