Review: Susan Cain – Quiet

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2.5 stars, books, first time read, nonfiction, own book, Quiet, read in 2019, reading, review, Susan Cain

Title: Quiet. The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking
Author: Susan Cain
First published: 2012
Dates read: 17.-27.7.2019
Category: first time read, non-fiction, own book
Rating: 2.5/5
The book in five words or less: interesting, but not ground-breaking

My thoughts:

I’ve been curious about this book for a long time. I’ve seen it everywhere online, and as a self-described introvert I thought I needed to check it out eventually. My chance finally came when a friend was going through their books to downsize and they were kind enough to gift me their copy.

Though I never put my expectations for this book in words, I think I expected it to be some kind of deep analysis of the role and struggles of introverts in our modern society, mixed up with a bit of psychology and perhaps some encouragement to the introverts of the world to keep being themselves. And, don’t get me wrong, the book tries to be all this. It’s just – Cain never quite gets there.

First off, I have to say that I value Susan Cain’s approach and her aim – to argue that introversion is normal and not something to ‘fix’ or be embarrassed about. I also genuinely believe she cares about the suffering of introverts in a society increasingly geared towards extroversion. I also found it deeply validating to read about my own ‘problems’ in society (a low threshold for outside disturbance and spontaneous interruptions among them), and it is nice to feel understood in one’s need for alone-time. This is especially the case if you consider yourself an introvert who’s good at social interactions and ‘faking extroversion’, like me.

I also found some of the ideas presented in the book very interesting: The theory of the ‘Free Traits’, aka why introverts might be willing to act like extroverts for a limited amount of time and in service of something or someone they care about, rings true with my own experience. I also agree with Cain’s repeated assertion that introversion doesn’t mean shyness, which is more a matter of social anxiety. Cain is also good at summarising and weighing a number of psychological studies and approaches towards introversion against each other.

However, this is also part of the problem: Susan Cain is very good at summarising, a little too good, actually. Which, of course, is another way of saying that Quiet stays very superficial and simplistic throughout most of the book. For example, Cain discusses developmental psychology, personality traits, and the role of free will, but completely neglects to discuss other factors that influence personality, like sexuality and gender, socioeconomic status, education, ethnicity, family relations, or location. She also ignores, among other things, the role of our modern work environment outside the scopes of academia and Wall Street, the two fields she seems to have any interest in, and – more generally – the role of capitalism, globalisation, and modern (instant) communication.

Her ‘evidence’ and case studies anecdotes feel a bit pick-and-mix at times, too. I wasn’t too bothered with the case studies and data she took from psychological studies, but most of her other anecdotes are from a very limited range of highly privileged people (mostly lawyers, people in finance, academics). I’m also really suspicious about her ‘historical examples’ (How do you type someone who’s been dead for 200 years?) and I honestly doubt bible characters make good evidence anywhere outside the study of theology.

Cain also has a tendency to flatten down complex systems of cause and effect to fit her argument. One example, which happens to be something I’ve heard a colleague’s research on recently: Early on in the book Susan Cain describes the rise of the ‘salesman ideal’ in the late 19th and early 20th century USA. At a time of rising capitalism, the social ideal developed from a ‘culture of character’ to a ‘culture of personality’, which increasingly favoured people who are good at selling themselves and presenting their ideas in an engaging manner (read: extroverts). I don’t necessarily disagree with that assessment, but it’s not quite as simple. What Cain neglects to mention is that the same time that saw the rise of the salesman ideal also saw neurasthenia – a nervous reaction to prolonged stress, acceleration, increased communication, and modern society – become the most diagnosed disease of the late 19th and early 20th century. How does this contemporary discussion of the dangers of the ‘extrovert society’ fit into Cain’s story of the rise of the extrovert ideal? How does capitalism? How do globalisation and increased communication? Where are the intervening years between WWI and the early 2000s? Where is the 1950s boom and the impact of two world wars? The Hippies and the 1960s/70s shift towards introspection and self-discovery?

In a similar vein, her chapter about ‘Asian’ habits and ‘Eastern’ cultures valuing introversion is very superficial and, one might argue, perpetuates harmful stereotypes on several fronts. This doesn’t only go for the way she describes ‘Asian’ cultures (read: Chinese, and to a lesser extent, Korean Americans), but also for how she seems to conflate the US, Americans of European ancestry, and Europeans into some weird notion of ‘the West’. What about South/Central Americans? Do they exist? Do Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders and the entire continent of Africa? I, for one, would like to contradict the blanket statement that ‘Europe is extroverted’ (as a German, I suspect that there are some places of Europe that are way more culturally extroverted than others and that my own country falls somewhere in the middle, with a tendency towards introversion). I also don’t actually buy that studies about Americans of European ancestry can say anything about actual Europeans. On the ‘Asian’ side, a deeper discussion, of, say, social and family structures, socio-political and cultural circumstances, economy, or religion/philosophy might have helped. (I’m not trying to deny that Asian Americans struggle in the current social climate in the US; I’m just saying it’s not that simple.)

In general, the whole book feels rather patchy and pick-and-mix. The earlier chapters seem to be mostly literature reviews and research, the latter ones tips and anecdotes. Sometimes, Cain throws in gimmick ‘advice’ of how to be more ‘successful’ as an introvert, but the only chapter that goes a little more in depth is the one about how to raise introvert children. Cain also seems to be unsure about whether she wants Quiet to be a book about valuing introverts, or about advice how to ‘improve’ them. Because for a book that is supposedly about introverts ‘who do not value success and money as highly as extroverts’, Cain sure talks about financial and career success a lot.

Overall, the book feels Very American, both in its conflation of ‘the US’ and ‘the West’ and in its choice of examples. That self-improvement seminar and the megachurch Cain describes in her earlier chapters are my personal vision of hell, but also not something that is common where I live.

I guess, Quiet is a good first introduction to the whole introvert/extrovert debate and an amicable attempt at showing that quieter, more reserved (?) people (read: introverts) make a valuable contribution to society, too. It’s nice to be patted on the back and told ‘there’s nothing wrong with you’, but it’s also not enough.

(I also suspect Cain is rather unkind towards extroverts, claiming that ‘both are necessary!’ as she might.)

 

Read if you like: an easy read, a pat on the back, an introduction into the concept of introversion