I recently read a book called Quiet Power, by Susan Cain, which is a book about introversion. Now, a lot of you are probably thinking, What is introversion? Well, introversion is a personality trait where you react to stimulation more strongly than extroverts. Extroverts are the people who are the life of the party, the people who enjoy loud music, and the people who can make friends at the drop of a hat. Introverts are people who prefer to be reading a book or using their iPad on the couch.
I am an introvert myself and this book really helped me learn more about my personality. At school, people always ask me, Are you OK? They ask this because I’m quiet or just staring off into space while I’m thinking. I never understood why people thought I was angry or sad, when really I was perfectly fine. Susan’s book taught me that extroverts prefer to have stimulation at all times and do not need to “recharge their batteries” by having time alone.
In my school’s science fair, I did a project on personality. It was mainly focused on Minecraft players’ level of introversion or extroversion and their preferences for playing in creative or survival mode (see my Minecraft for Dummies post). In that project I learned a lot about introversion as well as extroversion, but this book, Quiet Power, really helped me understand myself even more than I already did. I learned that introversion is my superpower. In chapter 10, The Quiet Athlete, Susan talks about how introverts who play sports are able to practice hours on end alone, whereas extroverts need stimulation from people after a certain amount of time. I thought this really fit me because if I have the drive to do something, then I can focus on it for long periods of time without interruptions. I play basketball by myself at our local school all the time to perfect my shot.
I love being introverted; one piece of advice I have for introverts is, don’t try and be someone you’re not. Embrace your introversion and you can do great things.
And now…. The Not So Philosophical Question! Do you think you are introverted? Take Susan Cain’s Quiet Revolution Personality Test to find out. Make sure to answer in the comment box! That’s all!
IMHO...thoughts from a Windy City kid 
Hi Thomas, it’s Eve. I took the short test and scored as an Introvert, which was not a surprise. People do not see me as an introvert, because I am very social and talkative, and my job involves a lot of talking (the teaching part). In this way, I am unlike you. But I am very much like you in that I hate crowds, get drained easily with a lot of external stimuli, LOVE alone time, and need it in order to re-charge. As you can imagine, this is challenging when Eero and I are together a lot, because he is a classic extrovert and never gets tired of socializing. Thanks for posting this! INTROVERTS UNITE! (alone in our separate spaces). 🙂
Cool! Thanks for reading my post!
Good analysis grandson of mine, can intros ride 4 wheelers this summer?
Hello! I’m glad to see that you are still posting. I remember when you were in my class and you started this blog. I have heard about this book, and people tell me I should read it because I am an introvert. I can totally relate to what you said about people asking, “Are you OK?” I used to get that a lot, and people still do ask me that sometimes, or they will ask, “Why do you look so serious?” It’s not that I’m sad, angry or really feeling that serious. I just need to shut out the people and the noise around me so I can put myself back together again. It’s as though I start to unravel when I am around too many people and too much noise for too long. My friends have come to learn that when I decline their invitations to do social things because “I am tired and need some alone time,” that it isn’t because I don’t like them or don’t want to be with them. I just need the time to be a better me for the next time I do see them. Anyway, thanks for the recommendation of this book. I will be sure to read it.
Scott
Thanks for the positive feedback, Tell me what you think of the book once your done! I read it in 3 days, and every night I would be exited to go to bed just so I could read that book. Glad you enjoyed!
Your advise about being yourself is spot-on. I think I need to read this book. I took the test and it points out what I knew – I too am an introvert.
Nice! Tell me what you think of the book once you are done!
I enjoyed this book. As an introvert, I wish I had read it when I was a kid.