
The Power of Introverts: A Manifesto for Quiet Brilliance - exch
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-power-of-introverts&page=2
======
wisty
Note, the words "Introvert" and "Extrovert" should die. It's like talking
about "fatties" and "anorexics". Most people are normal. Introversion (or it's
opposite, extroversion) is more or less normally distributed, unlike the
bimodal distribution suggested by using polar terms.

"Male" and "Female" are examples of bimodal attributes, for which it can be
pragmatic to pretend there's only two extremes. Even then, the folk who don't
fit so well in either category warrant a special mention.

Spare a thought for the normal people who don't have 200 real friends (and
20,000 Facebook friends); or live alone in their mother's basement. (Not that
introverts necessarily have no friends, which is a whole new can of
misconceptions brought on by Myers-Briggs, as explained by Cosmopolitan in the
mid-80s).

~~~
lusr
Even then I take issue with the terms. By all popular accounts I was extremely
"introverted" when I was younger. Having made a concious decision to change
certain aspects of my life, I am now far more balanced, and I have more than
one story that makes "extroverts" blush. Not once have I read an article that
discusses introversion and extroversion as flexible personality traits.

~~~
bh42222
_By all popular accounts I was extremely "introverted" when I was younger.
Having made a conscious decision to change certain aspects of my life, I am
now far more balanced..._

I'm guessing your level of introversion has not changed one bit. But that your
sociality has grown with conscious practice.

Social skills are something you practice. Introversion is something you are
born with.

I'm an introvert and everyone tells me I have great people skills and that I
am charming and wonderful to have at parties and other events. And I have lots
of friend. So how the hell am I an introvert? Simply, after a lot of social
interaction I feel mentally drained and need some alone time to recharge my
mental batteries. That's introversion.

Not having a lot friends or having anxiety about large social gatherings -
that's social shyness and it actually runs rampant among extroverts as well as
introverts.

Personal anecdote time:

Every introvert I know, including myself, has no real fear of public speaking.
Most get bored by the sound of their own voice when speaking to large groups.
Every extrovert I know has a huge fear of public speaking, some honestly
fearing it more than death.

~~~
lusr
I felt, and feel, drained in social interactions where my social anxiety
becomes an issue. Where it's not an issue, social interactions are great and
non-draining. For instance, I'm really looking forward to spending this
weekend at a music festival where I'll be floating around with a thousand
other people on a river watching some bands play and I know I'm going to have
a great time meeting tons of random people.

I also know that nearly every single extrovert attending that festival is
going to be just as drained as I am on Sunday morning - empirical proof is the
fact that pretty much everybody leaves these things at the same time (even
though the gates usually close much later, and the bands are still playing).
In fact, I don't know ANY extroverts who don't eventually need time to
themselves, either, so I find your definition to also be lacking.

These observations lead me to again question what "introversion" and
"extroversion" really is. It seems very difficult to know what's really going
on:

EITHER

1\. "introverts" are really just e.g. socially anxious people who
subconsciously use "introversion" as an excuse to avoid social situations
where their anxiety causes them to feel drained and exhausted; they aren't
aware that it's social anxiety causing these issues. It took me YEARS of
CONSCIOUS effort to reduce my social anxiety, nevermind the years it took to
recognize what it was. I have to wonder how many people have HONESTLY made a
similar effort before resorting to claiming they are "introverted" and that's
just how they are.

OR

2\. people like myself are really just "extroverts" at heart with a love &
approval addiction, and therefore place high value on social situations, which
they find draining to the extent they lack self-confidence because that lack
of self-confidence reduces the perceived love & approval they receive in those
social situations; this would explain why extroverts fear public speaking so
much - their outward focus makes them more susceptible to fears of social
rejection

How does one begin to test which of these theories is correct? If you think
they're both realistic, I really don't see much of an in-born difference
between "introverts" and "extroverts". As far as I can tell they might just be
very narrow labels describing the symptoms (social anxiety, low self-esteem,
etc.) of a set of dysfunctional beliefs.

~~~
bh42222
_How does one begin to test which of these theories is correct?_

This brain imaging study:

[http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199907/the-
differenc...](http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199907/the-difference-
between-introverts-and-extroverts)

Indicates that the default mode for the introvert brain is to keep the parts
of the brain responsible for internal stimulation busy. In extroverts it seem
default mode is to pay attention to external stimuli.

While unpleasant social interaction will force everyone to take a break, this
would explain why introverts like me find even very pleasant social
interaction tiring. It just takes energy to pay attention to external stimuli.
Extroverts don't have to spend that extra energy.

That's why one of the tell-tale signs of real introversion is a dislike for
music while working. It doesn't matter if it's your favorite music, it's
_distracting._ But for extrovert it would not be.

Born introverts are also a tiny minority of the total population, and this
combined with everything else makes me suspect extroverts with social anxiety
are in fact most of these "introvert" cases.

~~~
lusr
Now that's an interesting, testable theory. That being said, by that
definition I seem to switch between both modes of operation. I typically enjoy
music initially when I start working on something... but after a while when
I'm really into it I have to switch the music off otherwise I can't maintain
focus. Maybe I'm just a very confused person :)

------
obiterdictum
This topic is always popular here on HN. A pain point even.

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=561311>

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2657554>

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2345552>

However most of these submissions do not sit well with me as they try to
glorify introversion as some sort of superpower or an exclusive club, and
contain a hefty dose of ego stroking.

~~~
panacea
"A pain point even."

I wonder if that's because of the HR/interview/need-to-network thing.

Those on the more introverted side of whatever social mound you may want to
define, are as good as, if not better at _actually solving problems and
producing results_ as those who network and team-huddle and facebook etc.

It's a "pain point" precisely _because_ there's no reason a somewhat
'introverted' individual should be organisationally penalised for their
personality traits when they 'bring the goods' regardless (or even in excess
of requirements).

~~~
bh42222
I really hate the implication that being an introvert means you are not as
good at interviews or HR type networking.

I am an introvert. I have a huge professional network. How? Simply by being
nice to people and caring to build a network! And I know plenty of extroverts
who have a much smaller network than me because they tend to burn bridges when
they leave companies, because being an extrovert doesn't keep you from being
kind of a dick.

And as hackers we are often stubborn and passionate about objective truth and
I think these HR/networking problems have nothing to do with introversion.

I think introversion is being used as an excuse. And I suspect a lot of
introverts are either not introverts at all, or have entirely separate issues
in addition to being introverts.

Certainly a lot of what I read about introversion has nothing to do with it,
but is clearly about social anxiety.

 _It's a "pain point" precisely because there's no reason a somewhat
'introverted' individual should be organizationally penalized for their
personality traits when they 'bring the goods' regardless (or even in excess
of requirements)._

That does not happen! The only way I can imagine that happening is if you are
an introvert who happens to be a professional party host, or maybe sales. But
introverted personality traits do not get you punished professionally if you
do any kind of intellectual work like programming! What ever punishment you're
seeing, I'm guessing it's due to social issues entirely apart form
introversion.

~~~
panacea
The implication is that on a bell curve, you're worse off on one side...
that's all I'm "implying".

------
itmag
I am an introvert male and one book that really helped me be assertive,
certain, spontaneous, and happy in the social arena is "No more Mr Nice Guy"
by Robert Glover. Highly recommended!

<http://www.amazon.com/No-More-Mr-Nice-Guy/dp/0762415339>

I have the audiobook version and it's one of few audiobooks that I've listened
to more than once.

I also have a mindmap of the book if anyone wants it.

~~~
54mf
I think you just changed my life. Thank you for sharing this.

~~~
itmag
Well, that's always nice to hear. Mind telling me more? :)

~~~
54mf
Let's just say it hits close to home.

~~~
itmag
Kudos to you for daring to confront your problems.

------
pasbesoin
I'm an introvert. [1] Additionally, I cannot concentrate in a noisy,
distracting environment. I was told -- ad nauseum -- this was my "problem" and
that I needed to accommodate and "adapt" to the noise around me. Ultimately,
after several decades of doing my best to do so, I burned out -- hard.

Now, "the press" is telling us that "introversion" is good. If it was more
than lip service to the latest trend -- fad -- I might be encouraged. But I
doubt very much that it is.

In my mind, all these "introverts rule" articles can fuck off and die. Because
it's just not true. The world is full of loudmouthed, bullying assholes. And
the worst part is when they manage to turn you against yourself.

If you are an introvert. If you need peace and quiet to concentrate. The best
thing is NOT to support those who try to stuff you into a cube, or who blast
the stereo at all hours because "college is a party".

Get away, so that you can think. And keep in mind that they will step on you
and use you if they can. So, don't let them. Be kind to yourself. And to your
friends. And to those who truly respect you. But fuck the "touchy feely"
propaganda from the media.

1\. I get along just fine with people -- in fact, I'm often considered quite
"nice" and people seem to enjoy spending time with me, particularly if they
and the setting are not overwhelmingly aggressive. I enjoy spending time with
them, too. So, I'm not asocial.

~~~
dman
Noise really disturbs me too and actually so does movement in my peripheral
vision. Over time I have resorted to working for about 45mins - 1 hour 45
minutes at home in the morning before heading to work. I use that time to
bring my days tasks to a near solved status. Once I reach that state I can
"finish" the tasks off at office inspite of the distractions.

~~~
pasbesoin
I did some self-selected schedule shifting (or more often, extending) and the
like. I would not recommend it as a long-term strategy. In fact, I would not
recommend it as more than a stop-gap tactic.

(Meaning, when you are "working around", as opposed to choosing the schedule
and/or work environment you really want, in the first place.)

~~~
dman
Thanks - this is sage advise.

------
exch
Here's the full article without page breaks:
[http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-
power-o...](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-power-of-
introverts&print=true)

~~~
delinka
While I thank you for your effort, the site seems to strip off the &print=true
when I follow your link.

------
sunils34
Great article! This is definitely something that I had always thought about.
The extroverted bias is definitely something that should be rethought. In my
experience, I feel much more productive working alone rather than in groups.
It allows me to work at my own pace. In working alone, I can keep my
assumptions in my head, and have a full understanding of what my tasks are and
what needs to be done to be completed. I feel my preference for this work
style comes off as closed off, but having worked in different environments I
know this way yields the best results for me. Working too often in groups
gives a false sense of unanimity, where differing approaches are suppressed.
I've also seen decisions be dragged on much longer than it really should take.

~~~
dasil003
I like to work alone as well, even though I'm a manager and I'm lucky if I can
get 50% of my time head-down writing code. I just feel like I can process so
many more ideas thinking about things internally instead of pausing to try to
verbalize my thought process. This is not to dismiss the power of two or more
minds focusing on the problem from different angles bouncing ideas back and
forth. Maybe I just haven't found my pair programming soulmate yet, but I
suspect I just prefer to work alone most of the time and get collaborative
only at chosen points (design/code reviews, brainstorming, domain expert
discussion, etc).

------
spacemanaki
The article only touches briefly on the flaws of brainstorming and group work,
but there was a recent article in the New Yorker by Jonah Lehrer that delved
deeper into this issue and some of the research behind it. (unfortunately only
available to subscribers
[http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/01/30/120130fa_fact_...](http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/01/30/120130fa_fact_lehrer))
Surprisingly there is decent amount of research indicating that brainstorming
is actually less productive than everyone thinks, however the article diverges
slightly and explores the history of a few places like Building 20 at MIT
where many people from different backgrounds were forced to mix due to the
adhoc nature of the offices, etc. Of course I think he referenced another HN
favorite, Richard Hamming's classic "You and your research."

It seems that balancing "quiet brilliance" and "keeping your door open" is
probably something worth keeping in mind.

~~~
arguesalot
I wonder why people find this surprising. Groupthink involves substantial
compromises so you end up with least-common-denominator solutions. Epics
throughout history often talk about the accomplishments of Great (Wo)Men, but
not of Great Groups. The idea that groupthink is more valuable is just a
hypothesis.

The Nytimes had a similar story recently:
[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/opinion/sunday/the-rise-
of...](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/opinion/sunday/the-rise-of-the-new-
groupthink.html?comments)

~~~
spacemanaki
Brainstorming is shoved down our throats from middle school on (in the US, at
least) and continues into the workplace. We've probably all sat through
painful brainstorming sessions in the process of software development, and in
some cases the supposed wisdom of the group is formalized in processes like
scrum. So I found it somewhat surprising that this continues despite research
indicating it might not be productive.

------
eblade
I read a book by another female author that suggested the same theme as this
article: The Introvert Advantage - How To Thrive In An Extroverted World by
Marti Olsen Laney.

A nice read overall and made me aware of many obvious but often went explained
why introverts behave they way they are.

------
didgeoridoo
This article gives corporate "brainstorming" sessions the what-for, with some
justification. However, there are some great ways to run brainstorming
sessions to help mitigate the shortcomings cited in this article.

One of my favorites is the de Bono hats:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Thinking_Hats>

By setting rules and depersonalizing interactions ("That wasn't me
criticizing, that was the black hat talking!"), you can get productive,
creative thought in groups that might not be possible at the individual level.

------
funkah
Emphasis on the "quiet". Be quiet about how smart you think you are; you're
probably wrong anyway.

