Susan Cain Talks About Being Introverted on Marie TV, TED Talk [VIDEOS]

Any introverts in the audience? Introverts, put your hands up! Or just sit there, looking about nervously.

Susan Cain is a major introvert. In this Ted Talk (Bill Gates called it one of his all time favorites), she adorably recounts how she took a huge bag of books the first time she went to summer camp, thinking the girls would just quietly read together in matching nightgowns every night.

According to her talk, 1/3 to 1/2 of people are introverts. That means that either you or your spouse is an introvert. It's different than being shy. Shyness is fear of social judgement, and it can play into introversion. Many introverts are also shy, but true introversion is more about how one responds to social stimulation. Extroverts (like me) thrive with a lot of stimulation. Perhaps that's why I love being on stage, or flying down a mountain with loud music blasting into my ears while I ponder what my purpose on this Earth is.

Introverts respond best to quieter environments. Less stimulation stimulates them. That doesn't mean they can't do amazing things. Some of the most famous people in the world and in history have been introverts.

Just check out this impressive Huffington Post list of outrageously successful introverts. A few to highlight are Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, Ghandi, Rosa Parks and Eleanor Roosevelt. As Cain points out, especially in the civil rights leaders cases, their message was that much more powerful because they weren't on stage because they wanted to be. They were on stage because they felt they had to be. And thank God they did.

[Marie TV, Huffington Post, TED Talks]