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“A happy life must be to a great extent a quiet life, for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true joy dare live.” – Bertrand Russell

What do Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Abraham Lincoln, Julia Roberts, J K Rowling and Clint Eastwood have in common?

Yes, they are all well-known introverts. While varied other personal traits may have contributed towards their becoming masters of their own fields, being an introvert was surely one of them. Reading a fascinating book called Quiet, on the power of introverts by Susan Cain, I was inspired to write this post.

Clarifying Introversion and Extroversion

Usually, people who are more talkative, social and outgoing are referred to as extroverts while quiet and shy types get branded as introverts. However, much of psychology research on personality types relates the idea of extroversion and introversion to two other factors.

The first, popularized by Carl Jung, founder of analytical psychology, bases the distinction between extroversion and introversion on an individual’s attitude-type characterization – extroverts are characterized by their greater interest in the external world, while the introverts in their inner, emotional-mental, world.

The second is based on our orientation for how we spend leisure time, de-stress and resolve issues. Extroverts prefer being with other people – it relaxes and energizes them; introverts prefer being alone – in fact, they are commonly uncomfortable spending significant time with others. Given a choice, an extrovert would love to join a party and an introvert read a book or the like.

Most people possess a combination of these traits – although one of the two may be more dominant, and perhaps active more frequently, than the other. Further, the trait of shyness or boldness might be an independent factor present in either of the two personality types – so you could have a shy extrovert (comedian Chris Rock) and a bold introvert (Mahatma Gandhi).

Misplaced Overemphasis on Extroversion

Propelled by a growing sense of individuality, rapid globalization and the associated need to survive in unfamiliar surroundings, shortening attention spans and the necessity to make a quick impact in the world of CNN and now Facebook, increasing emphasis of mainstream business on the role of EQ in driving business growth, the world has built a distinctive preference for extroverts.

Cain terms this change during the last century, particularly among the western society, to a shift from a ‘culture of character’ to a ‘culture of personality’ – where how much and how well you talk, and how you present yourself, distinguishes your superiority. We have lately witnessed the same trend in the Asian and Indian context as well.

Teachers goad children to be more vocal and participative in class; parents believe an introverted child would likely struggle in life; businesses prefer to recruit extroverts; active verbal contribution is revered by organizations. In the culture of personality, we run the risk of ‘form’ taking precedence over ‘content’.

The Undermined Strengths of Introverts

Notwithstanding the merits of extroversion, the above shift has clearly got overdone and undermines the strengths and potential of introverts.

It is now established that due to their proclivity to be with themselves, introverts tend be keen thinkers, creative, philosophical, self-aware, sensitive and like going deeper into issues (extroverts are sometimes drawn to flirting with many ideas). Quieter students or colleagues are not lesser people, it’s just that they learn and contribute differently.

Introverted students are known to routinely outperform extroverts in grades as well as standardized tests like the SAT. This is because they tend to be more focused and less easily distracted.

Adam Grant, Professor of Wharton School of Business, believes introverted leaders make better managers. It is so because they are reflective and thoughtful, and are more receptive to others’ ideas compared to their extroverted counterparts who may prefer being the center of attention and can alienate those colleagues whose ideas are not heard.

Further, Grant’s research shows that an introverted leader supported by an extroverted team is a superior combination to an extroverted leader supported by an introverted team.

Driven by their inclination for deep thinking, introverted personalities possess the potential to be highly creative. As Einstein commented, “The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.”Examples of authors like Jane Austen and Ayn Rand, philosophers like Karl Marx, Jean-Paul-Sartre and Friedrich Nietzsche and science and technology innovators like Isaac Newton and Mark Zuckerberg are a testimony to that.

The Implications

The above arguments are not meant to suggest that extroverts are less effective or less valuable; instead, that we need to stop judging individuals based on their personality type and more importantly, stop assuming that one personality type is more likely to be successful than the other.

In our growing culture of personality, what we need is greater sensitivity towards creating the right environment and opportunities for the introverts to excel.

Schools and teachers ought to recognize the needs of introverted children to learn in a quieter, individual way. Parents need to learn to not look down on introversion and constantly cajole their children to be outgoing; instead focus on nurturing the unique talents of their children by encouraging them to pursue their personal preferences.

Organizations need both introverts and extroverts. However, as Cain points out, organizations must recognize that the introverted professionals don’t necessarily thrive in either open-office structures or collective brainstorming sessions. They think best when alone and in fact feel challenged to engage or contribute in a highly stimulated environment. This may mean reviewing the office design, providing greater flexibility to work from home, and developing new forums to harness the creativity of the extroverts and introverts.

Finally, introverts themselves can learn to not beat themselves up for their discomfort with ‘fitting-in’ with the social expectations of extroversion. They need to assess their strengths objectively and commit to nurturing those in a way that would make their work and life most fulfilling to them. Rather than blindly chase another role in a conventional set-up, maybe they can discover and pursue their deeper calling – one that brings together what they love and what they are good at.

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