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Dec 17, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

The two things I heard most in my youth: "Where did you get that red hair?" (which always struck me as wildly dumb, and/or inappropriate. what if I was adopted? or did people really think a first grader would dye her hair - dye it pumpkin orange, no less??)

And the other: "Why are you so quiet?" (because I'm tired of answering stupid questions from complete strangers??)

Anyway, I'm still quiet, and have married into a spastically extroverted family. More...

8 comments like (20 people liked it)

May 21, 2011

Skylar rated it:

Do you recall doing an “I-Search” paper in middle school? “I-Search” is a play on research, a sort of child’s touchy-feely introduction to the big bad world of research. You pick a topic to which you have a personal connection, and then you do a few interviews with people you know, think about your own personal experiences with the topic, and look up some statistics in a book or two. You then write a paper detailing your “process” (why you’re interested in the topic and how you learned what you More...

4 comments like (12 people liked it)

Jan 09, 2012

Very rated it:

First, she spends a lot of time making sure you’re an introvert. As if anyone else would be reading this book. Then, once you’re super sure that you’re an introvert, she talks about what it means to be an introvert, as if you don’t already know. That’s a lot of time wasted right there. Then she tells you how extroverts work and how they’re totally different from you and gives a tiny teaspoon of advice on how to interact with them. It’s all mostly stupid common sense stuff. Then she blathers on a More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Jul 10, 2008

Ginny rated it:

I have a generally negative view of pop psychology books, but couldn’t resist this one. And although it is lightweight and pretty ascientific, there were just enough “hey, that’s me!” moments to make me feel like I learned something.

Laney is a librarian turned psychologist who is herself an introvert. Despite the title, she focuses very little on the actual advantages of being an introvert. (For the record, we are loyal, thoughtful, persistent, good listeners, good teachers, able to More...

3 comments like (7 people liked it)

Feb 14, 2009

Lotte rated it:

I almost stopped reading this after 50 of its 300+ pages because I already know that I am a left-brain introvert and the material felt familiar. I typically am comfortable in the largely extrovert world (according to author Laney 25% of people are introverts and the rest extroverts). However, it is a fairly quick read for its length and I am glad I stuck with it. The physiological explanations were new to me, and several times throughout the book, I discovered traits I didn't know were connected More...

1 comment like (6 people liked it)

Mar 03, 2009

Tim rated it:

Since reading Mr. Jung's book about personality types, I have often wondered what use or point these types of classifications can really have. Mr. Jung, himself, cautions that though thinking about personality types can be enlightening, we should never make the mistake of thinking that we are talking about something real. It is the dichotomy present in stereotypes in general: they can sometimes be helpful, but they can also lead to dreadful errors in judgement about particular individuals.
More...

3 comments like (11 people liked it)

Feb 16, 2009

Mme. Bookling rated it:

I seriously want to buy this book for every single introvert I know. After that, I want to buy this book for every single extrovert I know.

Truth is, this book has treated a topic that is seriously underrated and has been the source of my anxiety for many, many years.

There are so many interesting facts/statistics that Dr. Laney throws into this book. For instance:
Introverts are outnumbered 3:1 in this world.
Introverts live longer than Extroverts.
Introve More...

4 comments like (10 people liked it)

Sep 26, 2011

Minna rated it:

I'm well aware that I'm introverted. I have family members who are both innies and outies, and the differences between the two types have always been obvious. I have always preferred reading or hanging out with one or two friends to parties and meeting strangers. The thing I've never did connect were the dots between personality type, energy levels and some of my quirks that seemingly had nothing to do with introversion.

Some might think that it is impossible to not know what temperame More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 17, 2009

Shannon rated it:

If you don't know me, you may not realize how momentous it is for me to not only read a non-fiction book, but give it five stars. My friend, Mikkee, recommended this book and I am so glad I read it. I've always been an introvert, but I think as I've aged, I've become more aware of how this makes me feel and how my needs are different because of it. For a non-fiction book, it was very readable, which is what pushed it from four stars to five for me. While the author has a doctorate in psychol More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jul 19, 2008

Katie rated it:

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I'VE EVER READ! Period. The cover's loud proclamation that the book was filled with "Aha Moments" is no joke! For me, the introvert, I now have a better understanding of what it means to be an introvert and how being an introvert effects every aspect of my life. It's all about energy -- introverts need to conserve energy while extroverts need to expend energy. Even our brains are wired differently. I couldn't believe some of the examples in the book. In on More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jul 06, 2008

Sheridan rated it:

On the back cover it says, “Filled with Aha! Moments.”

It is true, as an Introvert, I had many of these reading this book. I scrapbook with a group of wonderful girls. One time Christine brought this book. We took the quiz and all but one of us are introverts. It was fun to realize that about each other and maybe it is why we all get along so well, we can understand each other. One of my Aha moments, was I hate to make phone calls. Apparently this is a situation ma More...

3 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 05, 2011

Bird Brian rated it:

As one of the cover blurbs reads, there are a lot of "a-ha!" moments in this book. If you are an introvert who never made the connection between your cerebral preference and why certain activities seem to exhaust you, the book is a worthwhile read for that alone. There are also some helpful chapters about how introversion plays a role in professional and interpersonal relationships. The book is extremely readable, and the author has a good sense of humor. So why only four stars? The ti More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 17, 2011

Angelica rated it:

This book is full of tips that are applicable to the real world, five stars.
The End.

Most books like this I hate. They spend forever making me do 50-pages silly tests telling me whether I am this or that, then they spend forever again explaining to me how I supposedly work, what problems I have, how my brain works (including the strictly medical stuff) etc. etc. (Oh, I almost forgot to mention the articles/books that strongly propagate for which of intro/extro is the better. Yuc More...

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Jul 27, 2011

Apryl rated it:

So, that's what's wrong with me! Wait a minute, the shame & blame didn't come from this book. Olsen-Laney did such an excellent job of presenting the differences in temperaments without indicating that one is better than the other--although I have my intrinsic opinions.

All these years, I've been struggling to keep my head above water in this pool of sharks--ops, extroverts--and wondering why I keep sinking. It's so good to know that there is a physiological reason as to why I relate to the wo More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 03, 2011

Lalah rated it:

I'm aware of my fondness for false dichotomies, and the introvert/extrovert one is surely not as black and white as I like to think. Most of us have some of both. Even so, I gained a lot from this book. Laney normalizes much about introversion that seems "wrong" in a society where extroversion dominates. She's given me new insight about managing my energy level and my energy needs, and that's going to help at work, at home, and at play. So far, I find myself more willing to give m More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 05, 2010

Kevin rated it:

The reason I picked up "The Introvert Advantage" was a strange one. I had little interest in the subject but there was a friend I was having trouble understanding. Another friend pointed out that this person might be an introvert and recommended this book. After reading the book I not only feel I may understand my friend better but myself as well. See, I'm a bit of an introvert myself. I have many extrovert traits, but for the longest time the people described in this book could h More...

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Sep 04, 2010

Sara rated it:

"The Introvert Advantage" was one of those books that I read just at the right time. We do live in an extroverted world, where being socially active, vocally witty, and pleasantly rambunctious is valued. Dr. Laney states that there is a scale between extreme introverts and extreme extroverts, and many people fall somewhere between the two extremes. She goes on to explain physiological reasons why these two types of people are different, all the advantages introverts have, and the wa More...

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Aug 10, 2010

Elizabeth rated it:

Things I learned from this book:
- 75% of people are extroverts
- introverts often feel drained or overstimulated
- introverts get energy from the internal world, extroverts from the external world
- introverts like depth, extroverts like breadth
- introverts & extroverts may unsettle each other because they think & talk differently
- introverts NEED to take breaks regularly, preferably before feeling the need for them
- introverts may speak slowly, not show mu More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 01, 2010

Victoria rated it:

For introverts (like myself), it is easy to feel like an island, lost all alone in your head. The replies from Ode readers were heartwarming & honest, proving that the 1 in 4 of us that are introverts aren’t alone.

A book like this should be required reading in all schools, probably around middle-school-level. The concept of being an introvert is widely misunderstood, and author Marti does a downright phenomenal job at debunking those myths. From page 19:

Introversion is at More...

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Aug 03, 2009

Lindsey rated it:

I almost gave this four stars for being so enlightening and explaining to me the true nature of introversion vs. extroversion, which I either forgot or somehow failed to remember from personality psych in college. (It's not that we hate people! When I hate people, it's for completely different reasons than my introversion!) I mean, I knew I was an introvert all along, but I didn't realize exactly what that meant about my neuropathways or energy derivation, and I had NO IDEA how many seemingly un More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 26, 2011

Mel rated it:

A fun/neat excerpt from the book that I enjoyed on the introvert's communication style, who tend to:
1. Keep energy, enthusiasm, and excitement to themselves and share only with those they know very well. Hesitate before sharing personal information with others.
2. Need time to think before responding. Need time to reflect before reacting to outside events.
3. Prefer communicating one-to-one.
4. Need to be drawn out or invited to speak, and may prefer written to verbal comm More...

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Dec 22, 2008

getAbstract rated it:

A survivor’s guide for introverts who live in an extrovert world

Look around you: The world was surely made by, and exists for, extroverts. It is loud. It is fast. It values aggression. It rewards push. These are all extrovert characteristics. In such a world, introverts are sojourners. How can these quiet, contemplative, reclusive personalities get by? Learned psychoanalyst and proud introvert Marti Olsen Laney has some thoughts on the subject. She spells them out in her guidebook f More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 10, 2010

Amy rated it:

I highly recommend this book. I had no idea there was so much science and biology behind introversion and extroversion. Introverts and extroverts actually have different pathways in the brain, and so many things that the author mentions make my habits and challenges fall into one cohesive whole.

Health issues, a deep need for moments of quiet and solitude, a tendency to spend long periods of time thinking and processing...all these things resonated so strongly with my life. I was More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 20, 2011

Erin rated it:

So far, I've really liked this book. I've read a lot about introversion recently (I am one), and have been really encouraged to find that I'm not the only "oddball" out there. I've actually loved reading reviews of this book by other introverts, as we all share the same "aha" moments of realizing that things we thought were weird quirks about us are an introvert thing. It gives a great sense of an introvert community.

The book does a great job laying out some genera More...

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Aug 11, 2011

Kio rated it:

Every time someone links me to an article (or, in this case, refers me to a book) about introverts/extroverts, I always cringe in anticipation of the drivel I'm about to read. It seems like they always go through so much effort to deconstruct one stereotype only to prop up another in its place. While I do think a number of my teachers of times past as well as my more current professors could really do with reading up on the subject, not to mention many others in America's society that is so bias More...

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Jan 11, 2010

Julie rated it:

As an introvert, it was very comforting to read this book and be able to say "Yes! That's how I feel sometimes!" to many of the characteristics of introverts and to read that there is actually a biological reason for the personality of an introvert. It is comforting knowing that other people experience the same things such as the mind going blank in groups or under pressure, having trouble finding a word when speaking out loud (due to a longer brain pathway that has to be traveled), an More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 04, 2012

Agatha rated it:

What introverts are not: shy, aloof, or antisocial. What introverts are: individuals who gain energy from focusing inward, so, after periods of social activity, need time to be alone to recharge their batteries. Author explains the brain differences between introverts and extroverts (and it is a spectrum, so most people fall somewhere along the line of the continuum; it’s not a black and white thing, rarely) and why extroverts prefer certain things and introverts prefer others. (This part wa More...

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Feb 19, 2011

James rated it:

People naturally assume they are normal and whatever they experience is standard. This holds true for the dominant personality of the population, the extrovert. Several personality books encourage introverts to be less introvert and more extrovert. This book doesn't do that. Instead it embraces the introvert and lets the introvert know he/she is normal in his/her own way.

While reading this book I could not help but feel as if the author were describing me the whole time. Needless to sa More...

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Jun 06, 2011

Carl rated it:

I really enjoyed this book and it helped me remember somethings I had forgotten about myself. My stepmother is a corporate trainer and taught the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator many years ago and I was fortunate enough to take the test to find I was an INFP (Introvert Intuitive Feeling Perceiver). This is a very rare type for a male and it helped me understand a lot about myself and my life.
I've always been a fiercely private and introspective person. I've been feeling more burnt out than usua More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 01, 2010

Cara rated it:

A very thorough look at what it means to be an introvert. I already knew a fair bit about it, but I still found some surprises. For instance, I didn't realize that having a hard time thinking of the right words when I'm talking and dreading returning people's phone calls were introvert things, or how common it is for introverts to get really talky and charismatic on subjects of interest to them, even though they want to hide in a corner the other 90+% of the time. Another surprise for me is the More...

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