Let's face it, we live in an extrovert's world. Our culture expects people to be outgoing. But with the release of Susan Cain's new book Quiet and Time magazine's article on the power of shyness, introversion is finally getting its "say". By current estimates, 30% of our culture are introverts. And studies are revealing that our affinity for extroversion and bias against introversion may not be that healthy after all.
Research shows that introverts tend to be more deliberate, which means they think things through, often leading to smarter decisions. Introverts are better at listening which can often make them better leaders. A notable example of this is with the most recent presidents. George W. Bush and Bill Clinton are both very extroverted, leaning towards quick decision making, which, in turn, was their eventual downfall: one with Iraq, the other with an intern. However, President Obama's more cerebral, introverted inward approach, which often gets critiqued for being too risk averse, has lead to less rash decision making than his predecessors. Studies show that introverted leaders are more detail oriented, better at representing their people (better listeners) and better at assessing risk and remaining focussed (which explains the latest surge in introverted CEOs like Bill Gates and Google CEO Larry Page). Warren Buffet is also classified as an introvert for his inherent awareness and aversion to risk. Interestingly, extroverts are more reward driven. Unfortunately they often ignore warning signs along the way in their desire for reward. The financial crisis is blamed on this phenomenon. Most people know instinctively what classification they fall into: Extroverts draw energy from mingling with large groups - they actively seek out social gatherings and thrive in a large circle of friends. Introverts prefer smaller gatherings or simply want to be alone. Introverts can often fit all their friends in a phone booth, but tend to have deeper relationships. Introversion is not to be confused with shyness. Shyness is more of a form of anxiety. Shy people tend to avoid social situations, even those they want to attend because of their inherent anxiety.
It's funny, I have always been labelled as a quiet person, so naturally, I assumed I was shy. After reading the article in depth and completing their questionnaire, it turns out I'm introverted, not shy. It is nice to see some positive narrative on introversion because it often is mislabelled as a negative trait -something that you need to change or overcome. Like sexuality, introversion or extroversion is predetermined from the womb. Although we are all born as introverts or extroverts, how we deal with this, according to the Free Trait Theory, will depend upon our personal goals. According to Harvard lecturer and research psychologist Brian Little, we have three identities: our biogenic identity (introvert or extrovert), our sociogenic identity (expectations of family/religion/culture) and our ideogenic identity (our personal desires). For example, even though I was born an introvert, I am driven to connect with people on a deep level - I love finding out what makes people tick, what their interests are and what they want from life so I actively choose to spend a lot of time with friends. It is part of my ideogenic identity. I could spend more time alone (true to my introverted nature/biogenic identity) - but I'd miss out on an important part of reaching my personal desire to connect deeply with others. So, I choose to spend many of my days visiting family/friends. I may not have hundreds of friends, but the ones I have, I can say I know very well. Where my introversion causes me problems is in my sociogenic identity (cultural expectations). I tank in the the cocktail party scenario where you have to make small talk. I find that small talk is an art form in its own that I am simply not very good at. I wish I thrived at small talk, because the cocktail party scenario is definitely an integral part of most career paths and I really do admire people who have the gift of the gab. I am glad that these articles have emerged and that positive light is finally being shed on introversion. To make a long story short, nerds rock.
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