Taryn Nakamura - Quicklet on Marti Olsen Laneys The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World

We are ripe for a cultural shift toward the okayness of introversion. Its all right for us to stop trying to fit in and to shape up.

Dr. Marti Olsen Laney started research on introversion after realizing that she was an introvert. In an interview on Synaptic Success, Dr. Laney says that she combined research and her experience with introverted clients, who often had similar characteristics. Dr. Laney found that there were many studies on introversion in other countries, and she began linking these together to show the genetic differences between introverts and extroverts. ( Interview with Marti Olsen Laney )

Dr. Laney wrote this book primarily for an audience of introverts. In the Overture to her book, she writes that she wants to help introverts understand themselves and reassure them that they are not alone. However, extroverts may also find the book helpful in understanding their introverted friends and family members. Extroverts may discover and develop the self-reflective qualities of introverts.

The Introvert Advantage portrays the talents of the people we dont idealize. As Dr. Laney says in a CBS News Online interview, You never see an ad in the paper for an ingoing employee. Theyre all outgoing. ( Hidden Gifts of Introverted Child ) In an interview on CBC, Dr. Laney says that Americas extroversion has become almost manic. ( Marti Laney Interview on CBC ) Dr. Laneys book shows how introverts provide balance and calmness in a country that has become too extroverted.

Dr. Laney writes in The Introvert Advantage that she is a slow and steady writer. She writes everyday except Sunday between six am and ten am. She approached the book in the style of an introvert and former librarian. Before sitting down to start the book, she did extensive research online and in libraries. She writes in the Overture to her book that she interviewed over 50 clients for her book. A typical introvert, she wasnt confident enough to begin writing until shed collected all her facts.

It took me years to discover that all of my puzzling contradictions actually made sense. I was a normal introvert.

In her former life as a librarian, Dr. Marti Olsen Laney used to wear clown outfits and other wacky costumes for presentations at public libraries. Even after getting a doctorate in psychoanalysis, she still wears props to work. Dr. Laneys trademark is her Groucho Marx glasses, which she wears to workshops and lectures. ( About the Author )

Dr. Laney now counsels couples and families in her private practice in Portland, Oregon. In addition to The Introvert Advantage , Dr. Laney has also written The Hidden Gifts of the Introverted Child and The Introvert and Extrovert in Love.

In an interview with Dr. Matthew Norton on Synaptic Successes , Dr. Laney identifies herself as an introvert and says the results of her Myers-Briggs Test took her by surprise. She says that many people would not identify her as an introvert, especially if they knew her well. However, she wrote The Introvert Advantage to help introverts understand their type of intelligence.

Dr. Laney is married to an extroverted man named Mike. In an interview on CBC , Dr. Laney says that she and her husband struggle to understand each other. When it works, their introvert-extrovert relationship has an added dimension. Dr. Laney says that her husband helps her get out, and she reminds him to come home.

Introverts are like a rechargeable battery. They need to stop expending energy and rest in order to recharge.

Chapter 1: Whats an Innie? Are You One?

Introversion is a type of temperament. Youre born with a temperament type, and its not something you can change. We live in an extrovert-dominated world, and introverts are often made to feel as if something is wrong with them. Theres good news: introverts are talented in their own ways. This book helps introverts understand how their brains work differently from extroverts, recognize their unique strengths, and learn to manage overstimulation and anxiety.

Introverts get energy from internal sources like ideas, impressions, and emotions. Building up energy can be tough, since they need quiet spaces and solitude in order to recharge. Extroverts derive their energy from the outer world. They gain energy from talking to others, participating in activities, and leaping into action. Unlike introverts, they can get bored and lonely when they are alone.

In seeking information and experiences, introverts look for depth rather than breadth. They may limit their intake, but they know and feel deeply. Extroverts prefer to sample a wide range of experiences. Introverts may have fewer friends, but they know these friends intimately. Extroverts may have a wider circle of friends that they may know less intimately but still consider friends.

Carl Jung believed that the introversion and extroversion lie on opposite ends of a continuum. Each person has his or her own natural point on the continuum where he or she functions best. No point on the continuum is healthier or more normal than another.

Chapter 2: Why Are Introverts an Optical Illusion?

Via Colton Cotton

Being introverted is not the same thing as being shy, schizoid, or highly sensitive . Introverts and extroverts can have these characteristics.

Contrary to popular belief, introverts are not antisocial or self-centered. Introverts simply respond to social situations in a different way than extroverts. Introverts enjoy deep friendships but dont have the energy to spend lots of time on small talk or meeting new people.

Because of their differences, introverts and extroverts often misunderstand each other. Extroverts speak easily, sometimes without thinking. Introverts need more time to formulate thoughts and gain the courage to voice their opinions. Introverts dont like to speak unless they are certain of themselves. Extroverts may think that introverts are holding back on purpose.

Extroverts often overlook or exclude introverts because introverts dont speak as loudly or quickly. Introverts may make comments with more depth than the general level of conversation, and others may ignore them.

Introverted children often suffer from guilt and shame due to being different from their extroverted peers. Introverts think carefully about how their actions affect others. Guilt may arise when they think they have hurt someone. For example, after accidentally interrupting someone, they may feel bad and retreat from conversation. In reality, the other person may not have been hurt.

Chapter 3: The Emerging Brainscape

Temperament has a genetic basis. Jung believed that diversity along the introversion and extroversion continuum had evolutionary advantages because there was balance among types of personalities.

Introverts and extroverts brains function in different ways. In PET scans, introverts showed more blood flow to their brains. Introverts blood traveled a complex pathway to parts of the brain responsible for memory, problem solving, and planning. Extroverts blood flowed primarily by a shorter, simpler pathway to areas responsible for sensory processing.

The pathway that extroverts use requires a neurotransmitter called dopamine . The dopamine circuit is a reward circuit and it is related to movement and learning. Extroverts have a low sensitivity to dopamine and need more dopamine to feel good. Extroverts also need adrenaline to make more dopamine.