“Without great solitude, no serious work is possible.” — Pablo Picasso
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The psychologist Carl Jung first used the terms “introvert” and “extrovert” in the early 20th century to define personality types.
In general, introverts enjoy solitude but are uncomfortable in large social gatherings. They are self-aware and tend to be deep thinkers who like to have a few strong relationships rather than a lot of acquaintances.
Extroverts, on the other hand, prefer large groups and enjoy living in the spotlight. They are more outgoing and usually have a lot of friends.
In reality, being an introvert or extrovert isn’t an either/or definition. It’s more of a continuum, and we can imagine a line graph showing introvert at one end and extrovert at the other. The great majority of people probably fall somewhere in the middle area as ambiverts.
An article on WebMD notes some of the differences in brain function between introverts and extroverts:
Researchers have found that introverts have a higher blood flow to their frontal lobe than extroverts do. This part of the brain helps you remember things, solve problems, and plan ahead.
Introvert brains also react differently to dopamine than extrovert brains do. That’s a chemical that turns on the reward- and pleasure-seeking part of your brain. Introverts and extroverts have the same amount of the chemical, but extrovert brains get an excited buzz from their reward center. Introverts, on the other hand, tend to just feel run-down by it.
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“The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.” — Albert Einstein
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In her book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, Susan Cain’s premise is that we live in a culture that rewards extroversion, but we need to take advantage of the significant gifts that introverts have to offer. Cain gives concrete evidence of the superpower of introverts:
“Some of our greatest ideas, art, and inventions—from the theory of evolution to van Gogh’s sunflowers to the personal computer—came from quiet and cerebral people who knew how to tune in to their inner worlds and the treasures to be found there.”
She then goes on to provide a very impressive list including Sir Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, W.B Yeats, Frederic Chopin, Marcel Proust, George Orwell, Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss), Charles Schulz, Steven Spielberg, and J.K. Rowling.
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“Writing is something you do alone. It’s a profession for introverts who want to tell you a story but don’t want to make eye contact while doing it.” — John Green
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Many of the authors I know consider themselves to be introverts, and given the solitude and cerebral tendency of introverts, you’d expect most authors to be at the introvert end of the scale. You might be right. Here’s a list of a few:
- Emily Dickinson
- J.D. Salinger
- Harper Lee
- Edgar Allan Poe
- John Green
- Agatha Christie
- George R.R. Martin
- Charlotte Brontë
- C.S. Lewis
The introvertdear.com site even lists several reasons “Why Introverts Make the Best Writers”:
- Good writing is good thinking. And who thinks more than introverts?
- We’re comfortable with solitude (which is a necessity to write).
- We’re keen observers of people, places, and details, which makes our writing rich.
However, not all great authors are introverts. Consider these extroverts:
- Truman Capote
- Maya Angelou
- Malcolm Gladwell
- Nora Ephron
- Mark Twain
One famous writer who was thought to be a combination extrovert/introvert personality was Ernest Hemingway
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Want to know where you fall on the introvert/extrovert scale? Take this quick 20-question quiz on Susan Cain’s website. Here’s where I ended up:
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So TKZers: Do you think introverts have an advantage when it comes to writing? Where do you fall on the introvert/extrovert scale?
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Extrovert Reen & her introvert cousin, Joanie, are the best kid detective team ever, solving problems and making the world a better place.
Click the image to go to the Amazon series page.
