Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking Entry 2

This is Susan Cain the author of this book.

Toward the middle of the book it talks about how it's proven that not only is peer pressure unpleasant, it can also change your view of a problem. Sometimes people go along with the group because they genuinely think they arrived at the same conclusion as everyone else, but alone would have come up with a different answer. This is scary, to think that my mind could be changing without me knowing it. It also stated how people perform worse under critical eyes. I've had personal experience in that area. This section of the book is praising individual work. But then it goes on to say a healthy mix of group and individual work is best. Flexibility is the key. Allowing people at work or school to pick what environment that is most comfortable for them and what kind of work lets they're potential best shine through.

I've always wondered is being an introverts something that you learn as you grow up  or is it something that is determined from birth? Well, babies who are more reactive to new sounds, sights, and smells tend to be more introverted,  compared to babies who are less reactive. But it's not that simple, they way someone acts still is greatly influenced by they're childhood. This didn't help me come to a conclusion about myself. Was I born this way or did I grow into this? Supposedly, "it's the intricate interaction between the two that make us who we are."

So what does this all mean for me? I know for sure that I'm introverted, but does that mean that I'm destined to a life of quiet nights curled up with a book while my friends go out or can I change my fate and be a bubbly ball of charisma. Evidently, " We can stretch our personalities, but only to a point. Our inborn temperaments influence us, regardless of the life we lead." So I can go out with my friends, but I'll probably get tired after a few hours and go home to my book.

This has to do with something called optimal stimulation. Some people need more face to face interaction than others. What's important is finding balance. Being over stimulated can cause health issues and make you all together unhappy. This is why many introverts have trouble winging a speech. Over stimulation interferes with attention and short term memory. I also credit this for all the times teachers randomly call on kids and they're mind goes blank unable to answer the question. Most of the time it's not that they weren't paying attention, it's because the shock of being called on suddenly causes they're brain to go into a state of over stimulation where they can't think strait. I also thinks this is why some people freeze in fear, they're brain is so surprised and afraid they can't think to move.

Late in the chapter they started talking about sensitive people and said something that caught my attention: "Sensitive types think in an unusually complicated fashion. It may also help explain why they're so bored by small talk." I had never really knew why, but I've always been horrible at small talk. How was your day? What did you do this summer? Did you have a nice vacation? What's up? All these questions I would try to answer in as few words as possible. I remember my freshman year a senior girl on the bus asked me what's up? My mind was racing. What was up? What did she mean by that? Did she want to know what I did that day? Did she want to know how I felt at this very instant? I couldn't figure it out so I just responded , "nothing", and pretended to get something out of my back pack. That girl probably thought I didn't want to talk to her, but I genuinely didn't know how to respond. What's up just seemed like such a vague question to me. I guess that my introverted self peeking through.