Book Review on Scientific American: The Power of the Introvert
07 Feb 2012, Posted by Cape Town Girl in book club, 2 Comments
Have you ever felt bad for having your own opinion? Especially if you voice it in a group of people who believe something different to what you believe? Neuroscientist Gregory Berns calls this ‘the pain of independence’ and it’s precisely what makes working in teams all the time extremely difficult for those who aren’t hardwired to be socially dependent on other people for their happiness (extroverts). Just a little fascinating snippet from a book that’s been getting lots of reviews all over the web called The Power of the Introvert. Basically, introvert are people very sensitive to stimulation thus they need a lot of alone time, and with this alone time comes the ability to focus on one thing. Along with that comes every single major breakthrough humanity has ever made. Yup, no prom queen ever figured out how to split an atom. Then again no scientist ever built an empire from a reality show (yet).
What is extremely interesting is the idea that introverts make great leaders, because they are not victims to their egos and desperate to put their stamp on everything, leaning towards getting the best out of their team, instead.
Read more about the book here.
Image from Anxiety Cat.
2 Comments
February 8, 2012 10:57 am
Jeannie @@jeanthequeen84
I’m definitely an introvert. At my wedding, my biggest stress was that I might have to hug 125 people. Got away with about 40 :)
February 10, 2012 2:32 pm
Melissa
Really good article. Seriously want to get hold of the book.
Whether you are extroverted or introverted, you have something to contribute to the world. All you have to do is realise which of the two you are (and if the definition is not clear-cut, which one you are more of the time), and realise that it’s perfectly OK to be that way, and to love yourself for it.
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