Highly Valued Thinking

Susan Cain’s book Quiet was revolutionary when it came out in 2012. Not only did it redefine and clarify what introversion is really about, but it also made being an introvert something desirable.

Introversion, Cain indicated, is partly biological in nature and has nothing to do with shyness or timidity. Instead, introversion is about how an individual responds to external stimuli.

Extroverts, however, thrive in highly stimulating environments, such as noisy parties or active, open workspaces. Introverts get overwhelmed and prefer to be with one or two people in a quiet space. The differences between extroverts and introverts are long-standing — even the brains of babies respond very differently to stimuli. The result is introverts who prefer to work slowly and deliberately, thinking and concentrating on one thing at a time; and extroverts who multitask, talk things through out loud and make much faster decisions. Guess which one tends to be valued and promoted in today’s North-American workplace? If you’re an introvert, you know that you tend to be interrupted frequently, talked over, overlooked and undervalued.