On Being Quiet - Susan Cain's book (Review)

When I first listened to Susan Cain's talk on TED in March 2012, I realised that my confused childhood now has a meaning of its own.  Pieces of the puzzle is starting to come together now as I reconcile my childhood and teenage struggles in school to 'fit in' and understand why I failed terribly to do so.   


Susan Cain's Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking, is written in four main parts.  Her book opens to an Introduction chapter that focuses on the story of Rosa Parks, that sparked the bus boycott of Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, which ignited the spark of human rights movement of Martin Luther King Jr. 


In the first part of her book, 'The Extrovert Ideal', Cain starts off the chapter with a walk through of Dale Carnegie's life from his humble beginnings in a pig farm, poverty stricken and demoralised to becoming America's most successful motivational and public speaking icon, which also the story of the rise of the Extrovert Ideal.


The author then goes on to argue that in the past, the Culture of Character was the ideal way of life that focuses on the self that was serious, disciplined, and honorable.  The word personality didn't exist in English until the eighteenth century, and having a "good personality" was not widespread until the twentieth.  


However, with the rise of the Extrovert Ideal, the personality superceeds all course of action by men.  Those with the charisma and confidence were revered as the way of life and abundance of opportunity is showered upon them.  


Her argument then builds on with meticulous research to back her motion that being extroverted is not necessarily the needed recipe for success.


In the second part of the book, 'Your Biology, Your Self?', Cain went on to state that being an introvert is very much embedded in our DNA.  She derived research done by Kagan, Jay Belsky and David Dobbs that found out that a specific gene known as the serotonin-transporter (SERT) gene, helps to regulate the processing of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that affects mood.  According to these scientists, a particular short allele, a 'short allele', is thought to be associated with high reactivity and introversion.  


Cain continues to build her argument towards cultural experiences and influences that could influence a person's extroversion or introversion.  She expounded on the possibility of culture and up bringing influencing someone's introversion and extroversion. 


In the last part of her book, she propagated useful and pragmatic solutions to encourage introverted co-workers and children to shine in their own way at work and in school.  Again, this chapter is laced with detailed synthesis of numerous research to put her point across.


Not only is her book well argued and well researched, she was able to laced it with honest and raw personal experiences and opinion to 'fight' for the less caustic society.  


What did I think?  I think that if only she has written this book years ago, it would definitely have made a marked difference in how I viewed my personal introversion and I would have been able to deal and plan my life much better.  Nevertheless, no one says it's ever too late to be who you really are.