I recently came across a TED talk by a woman named Susan Cain, who is one of the world’s most famous champions of introversion. Her talk, “The Power of Introverts,” spoke to me on a very personal level. As a relatively introverted person, I simply had to pay attention.
Cain also wrote a book called Quiet, which you should probably read if you are at all introverted or know any introverts (which potentially encompasses everyone everywhere). In both her talk and her book, Cain speaks with authority on a subject that is often tragically misunderstood. Her words have the ability to empower introverts all over the world to embrace their introspective nature and learn to use it for their own benefit.
The terms “introversion” and “extraversion” were first used by famous psychiatrist Carl Jung. He said that someone with an introverted personality is drained of energy by stimulation, social or otherwise, and needs quiet, low-key environments to recharge. Someone with an extraverted personality is the polar opposite. They crave and need all kinds of stimulation to recharge their energy levels and feel content.
It depends on who you talk to, but introverts make up at least a third of the population, meaning that even if you are not an introvert yourself, is it likely that you are related to one, work with one or know one in one way or another. Yet introverts often pretend they are not that way in order to fit in with the crowd. They suppress their true selves because that is not how people are expected to be.
In America we tend to value the loud, abrasive person who is able to stand up and demand that people listen to them. These people get promotions, are favored by teachers everywhere and make friends and acquaintances with ease.
In America, introverts are often told that they are somehow wrong and they need to change—to make more of an effort to be social and to “come out of their shell.” As a kid, I often felt like there was something wrong with me because I worked best on my own and had difficulty making connections with other kids my age.
This kind of mindset can be extremely damaging psychologically to those who are quiet or introverted. We are the outsiders, the weirdos and the ones who need to change one of the most fundamental aspects of our very being.
America may value the extravert, but there is a very powerful kind of knowledge and confidence that can only come from someone with introverted tendencies. In talking about Rosa Parks’ soft-spoken, yet confident nature, Susan Cain used the term “quiet fortitude” to describe that kind of calm, brave steadfastness that can only come from a careful, thoughtful personality.
Our society needs the knowledge, introspection and careful thoughtfulness that can only come from an introspective individual. We need their “quiet fortitude,” because without the introverts, we would descend into a country that talks loudly, but without substance; that demands action, but without forethought.
Increasingly, our workplaces and our schools are designed to meet the needs of those with extraverted tendencies. We place much emphasis on group work and team building, but this leaves little room for those who work best alone. We arrange school desks in pods to encourage discussion, but this makes it difficult to also encourage deep, solitary thought.
There is a belief that creativity and hard work can only come from the group mind, but this is absolutely wrong. Yes, creativity and great ideas can and do come from groups of people working together, but that is definitely not the only place they can come from.
Some of the greatest world leaders and creators have described themselves with qualities that are associated with introversion, including Bill Gates, Dr. Seuss, Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt and J.K. Rowling. Our world would be severely lacking without the contributions of these fabulously unique introverts.
The works of these celebrated people prove that introverts are no less important than the extraverts of this world. We have the ability to be great leaders and powerful vehicles for creativity and change, despite, and perhaps even because of, our introspective tendencies.
Susan Cain has almost single-handedly started a movement embracing the power of the introverted. The revelations that have been born from this movement have helped me understand that I’m not wrong or strange for wanting to be alone sometimes; for preferring to have coffee with a few close friends rather than go to a loud dance club; for enjoying the feeling of a book in my hand and the sound of my own thoughts rather than the claustrophobic babble of a large group of people.
There is something very empowering about the notion that introverts are fine just the way they are. My hope is that all introverts can have the same revelations about themselves as I’ve had. It is not always the best course of action to forcefully demand attention, but instead to think deeply and passionately and know when to stand up and make yourself heard as a person with good ideas and intentions.
As a society, we need to learn to love and embrace our introverts. We need to bring about a major shift in thinking so they don’t feel so fundamentally wrong for wanting to go off by themselves, because you never know what they might create during their alone time.
