This book provides fresh insight on the qualities of the introverted personality. I saw many of my experiences reflected in the stories told here. Especially meaningful to me is the recognition that one need not struggle against one’s own personality limits; it is more fulfilling to seek new capacities while respecting one’s fundamental traits. Probably Cain’s greatest contribution is her critique of extroversion as a universal ideal fri success in life — a view particularly oppressive to the quiet people among us. ( )

This book was very insightful, and I really enjoyed reading it. What I appreciated the most were the scientific, physiological reasons for introverted behavior. It also explored traits that are often linked to introversion, but not exclusively, such as high/low "reactivity" or "sensitivity" to external stimulation. The book was helpful for my understanding of extroverts, as well.

I disagreed with Cain's comments on evolution. She refers to our shared familial history with monkeys, but provides no true evidence to support it.

My last complaint is that of her reference to "the Western God" (pg 189), referring to the Christian God. Firstly, the Christian God does not somehow belong only to the Western world. Secondly, her assumptions about Him apparently are conceived from "Jesus Christ Superstar," which is what she references instead of the Holy Bible. This seemed like a rather ridiculous failing considering the obvious attention to detail that she paid to her research for other aspects of the book. As a Christian myself, I found it frustrating that she would portray my Lord rather carelessly that way, since religion is an incredibly important cultural issue. She took such care in approaching the cultural issue of the "Extrovert Ideal" with balance and thought, and I find it unfortunate that she overlooked the importance of doing the same with religion.

All in all, however, the book was a very intriguing read, and I would recommend it to introverts and extroverts alike for greater understanding of how our brains truly work.

Update 1/18/21: During my second read-through, I noticed that many of the traits Cain (and other researchers) attributed to introversion or extroversion often seemed more related to the traits of "turbulence" and "assertiveness" as defined by the www.16personalities.com interpretation of the MBTI.

There is some brief profanity.
( )

Such an interesting book. Good to read for introverts; but will extroverts?

Nice to finally understand that the trait is at least partly genetic. Just wonder if intro is normal and extro an aberration? Probably both are needed, or we’d all be bred out of existence. ( )

I tend to be wary of pop psychology books, but Quiet came well recommended by multiple sources. I had the opportunity to do a couple of leadership training workshops over the last couple of years and it kept coming up. I'm glad I read it. I think I feel this way about a lot of pop psychology books; I have an initially suspicious attitude, but I end up thinking about the book a lot after I finish reading it. I think I will feel the same way about this one.

I know that most people understand the basic idea of introverts and extroverts. I tend to be very cautious about categorizing people into one category or the other, and I strongly suspect things like the Myers-Briggs test are more pseudoscience than actual science. However, I like that we have a book that shows a lot of examples of how introverts are undervalued and as somebody that would definitely be classified as an introvert, it's reassuring.

Some of the bits about children kind of make me wonder. For instance, the author gives lots of advice about how parents shouldn't be worried about their introverted children and should look for ways of supporting them. Maybe it's just my background, but I got the idea that parents were probably more thrilled to have introverted children, because those kids tend to be quieter and easier to manage. So I wonder if the author is overstating the patholigization of introverted children in our society.

But overall, I think this book is helpful for people - namely introverts - to draw power from (I'm very curious to see what extroverts think about this book). Maybe people that would describe themselves as introverts will enjoy knowing that they can be very successful and have as powerful of an impact on the world around them as the extroverts do. And also that it is okay to be introverted and learn from the key advice, which is to take time to recharge and look for ways to play to your strengths (especially when on a team of extroverts).

Another thing that I'll be thinking about long after this book is off my shelf is the idea that introverts are more likely to take the time to process things and give meaningful feedback rather than just saying something just to say something. That's something I respect and try to practice. I do think that teaching introverts and people that would consider themselves shy how to express themselves more is valuable. I've thought more and more about looking for opportunities for quiet people to practice being more comfortable speaking and advocating for themselves, especially during an anxiety epidemic. It's incredibly valuable personality and absolutely necessary professionally. It's reassuring to see that other folks agree. ( )

Interesting book. Lots for the reader to think about. I'm an iintrovert and as a child did feel pressure to be more outgoing.. These days the kids still feel pressure, especially with so much social media etc. but information like the author discusses maybe will help people have a more balanced attitude toward all kinds of personalities. ( )