THE INTROVERT ADVANTAGE by MARTI OLSEN LANEY

4.25 of 5

The bottom line: For introverts, an eye-opening insight into your own nature, why you’re misunderstood, self-appreciation, and how to excel in an extroverted world.

 

The Introvert Advantage essentially serves as a blueprint for more fulfilling lives for introverts. In a world dominated by extroverts (about 70%), introverts often feel as if they’re abnormal, antisocial or aloof, which often is not the case—they are simply being judged by an extroverted standard and they remain unaware of the unique physiology that makes them tick.

The book starts off by distinguishing introverts from extroverts—the former being “energy conservers” and drawing stimulation from within, and the latter being “energy spenders” getting stimulation from the outside world. This is exactly why too much background noise (both figuratively and literally) can overload an introvert quite easily while making extroverts very happy. If you’re unsure what you are, a self-assessment quiz on page 31 is there to guide you.

The book is divided into three parts. The first describes what it means to be an introvert, debunks common myths about them, and also explores the neurochemical differences between “innies” and “outies.” Part II is called “Navigating the Extroverted Waters” and describes how introverts can successfully steer a course in a world that is predominantly extroverted. Part III (“Creating the ‘Just Right’ Life”) builds upon the prior two parts and illustrates how, knowing their particular idiosyncrasies, innies can create and build better relationships, be better parents and spouses, and generally have more fulfilling, productive lives.

The Introvert Advantage also champions the advantages of being an introvert such as the ability to work independently and having well-developed analytical mental processing skills. While the book may not prescribe solutions for a multitude of specific scenarios, what it does is very clearly illustrate the principles so that the methods and applications become easily extracted. This book certainly is not an advanced text on psychology or personality traits, and makes the gross generalization of labeling people either as introverted or extroverted for simplicity. It remains clear that many other ways to classify and categorize personality exist.

I am an introvert, and this plays a large part in why I value this book so much. If I were an extrovert, it certainly would produce a lot less value, unless I had an introverted wife or child. So, for all the introverts, this easy-to-read introductory book will help you to better understand yourself, and through that understanding, you will better be able to function in the world and with others.

 

Dr. C. H. E. Sadaphal

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