The power of introverts - Susan Cain

View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/susan-cain-...
In a culture where being social and outgoing are prized above all else, it can be difficult, even shameful, to be an introvert. But, as Susan Cain argues in this passionate talk, introverts bring extraordinary talents and abilities to the world, and they should be encouraged and celebrated. Susan Cain makes a case for the quiet and contemplative.
Talk by Susan Cain.

[@Kavetrol]

Introverts ! Unite ! Separately ! In your own homes !

[@blackout_ct1013]

I've seen this one so many times... But I love it so much!!😁😄

[@kosmique]

Im the 100th like. I'm special.

[@MrBurns-mu5bp]

Yeah!

[@angelinephilo2005]

wow this comment has aged well

[@seh-lavee2749]

Here, here!

[@bsaget98]

i always hated group projects in school. 9 times out of 10 it seemed easier to just work alone.

[@darlinghopelessromantic]

Same!

[@MrBurns-mu5bp]

I am exactly the same

[@charlesr24]

I concur 1000% never ever liked working together.

[@MamaPout]

I feel the same exact way.

[@SamukheleMwase]

She totally gets it. Speaking as an African, believe me the culture of group work is not only an American thing. In fact I would think it it worse in Africa. In Zambia, you would be constantly bombarded with groups: cousins, uncle, aunts, distant relatives, church members, neighbours, work colleagues and so on. The moment you step out to be on your own, people act like you are breaking the norm and shouldn't be so anti-social. I love this talk! I don't feel "weird" anymore. I am just me

[@crazyadolescent16]

Sammy Mwase I know what you mean. My mum and I are talked about as being rude and snobbish because we like solitude every now and then.

[@anupamsingh1056]

Oh god! The same thing keeps happening in Indian families all the time. It gets very difficult for introverted people.

[@lemmingsgopop]

I applaud your courage. I can imagine how hard that speech was for an introvert but it came out amazing and truly inspiring for me.

[@sigthor1945]

Thank you. As an introvert I've often felt miserable because I thought there was something wrong with me. I was somehow deficient. Yet I'm an artist & love my solitude creating. I love being in my own solitude. I'm also a watcher & take things in & learn from them, something I couldn't do if I were busily being social all the time. Sometimes I envy people who find social interaction easier, but introversion does make me a good listener.

[@ecashmarketing]

I am with you. I have same thought too. Don't beat yourself. We think better and at times, we see different things.

[@otbwwilliams]

Hello, how are you now?

[@Shlungoidwungus]

I suppose I can be considered an ambivert. I will stay quiet until I have firm recognition of the person I am communicating with, and then I will seem more of an extrovert I transfer between an introvert and extrovert on a regular basis, so I only find it fitting to say that I am an ambivert.

[@benfuller9009]

Racoon in the closet I am completely the same!

[@Ray-mo3nd]

Being an introvert who is pressurized by the society to be an extrovert, lockdown days have been the best days of my life.

[@Trustn01718]

🙌🙌🙌

[@gloriousgloriosa8495]

Yeah me too, I dint feel bored during the pandemic lockdown..it s like a bliss of solitude😍

[@hihtitmamnan]

I wish I could say that, although even as a strong introvert, the lockdown was still too antisocial for me

[@EustaquioSantimano]

This is my 3rd time listening to Susan's talk !!

[@SarahThomasteach2connect]

I am so grateful for this I'm finding myself in tears. It is so hard to help people understand that it is not that I am being rude or sullen. It is that I just need to process.

[@javinnelaureen]

I so much love to read books and talk about them. But guess what? of course, there are not many people in the sourroundings willing to talk about it... I can be very outgoing though, but I preffer to sit in my corner, most of the time, and read and write things.

[@willow003]

This lady has made me totally proud to be an introvert!! :D

[@raulhuizar]

"The courage to speak softly"

[@lewisktownsend]

I'm glad someone finally gets it and presents it without including any psychology diagnoses.

[@crystallinedrea]

I agree with what you say. Susan Cain tells us that each individual is separate worlds from a different perspective. She shows strikingly that there are some mistakes in raising children. I say some mistakes bacause I used to think extroverted people were more creative and intelligent until I listened to the conversation. Another point I liked was that she maintained the balance by saying that she supports not only introverted people but also extroverted people throughout the speech. I hope people will always remember these 3 tasks Susan gave because these tasks are worth gold.

[@sweetlikedaim]

Such a wonderful speech. Good points too. I definitely am extroverted but this has totally opened my eyes. My little sister is on the introverted side and this has helped me to not judge her too harshly and actually encourage her. Thanks!

[@tsbrownie]

Group work creates an environment of "average". It cripples creativity, holds down the truly gifted and empowers mediocrity. It moves us farther from the (individual) merit system that made the US great. Ironic, or perhaps apropo, that we still pick 1 member to garner all the glory in every group from sports teams to corporations; an individual that is often less capable, but more "popular".

[@saurabhd21]

Such a thoughtful ted-talk delivered with utmost clarity and poise!

[@ajeetis]

Awesome talk. As an introvert myself, I understand the power of solitude and have always been super confident of my differential thinking abilities. The talk bolstered my beliefs that introversion is alright and normal, and that introverts are just as important as others, if not more. Thanks Susan.

[@yemre401]

I have always been a introvert person and I had thought it was characteristic that I should change but it is not a defect. It is style that makes me effective.

[@TheRoxen92]

I absolutely agree, 100% with her! I’m an extremely introvert. Just a question. Am I the only one who kinda see it a resemblance between Susan and Phoebe from Friends? I don’t know the voice, the way she moves...

[@aytacmsrloglu2563]

Her talk was inspiring... I impressed. I liked the part where she mentioned introverted leaders the most... I agree that offices or schools need a little individualization. She opened a new perspective on my mind. Thanks her.

[@firstladyshine]

I realized this about myself in my late teens and since then, I have given this "same" speech about 100 times.

[@DaniMacNCheese]

I was an introvert when I was growing up. I preferred the company of my pencil and drawing pad, than being around children my age. I'm older now, and have friends, but I still need my space and my time to read or draw.

[@angharad3694]

This was tearjerking.

[@Kaiju_Tea_Party]

Your year of speaking dangerously really paid off. You were well spoken and presented a well spoken argument. I agree that there is an a extroverted bias but we need both intro and extroverts. Every kind of person is needed.

[@bertersfd]

Great stuff. Thank you. Explaining to me a very big part of my personality. I knew about this for ever already, but often in denial. It can be very frustrating and exhausting to be outgoing all the time for the sole reason that it is 'how it should be'. Thank you, again, for trowing this into my face and making me fully aware of who I am, aand that is not needed to suppress it to the point that I t times am trying to.

[@trippeehippee]

I love this talk ... it makes me feel good about who I am

[@ecashmarketing]

i watch this video and cry thinking finally someone stands out and talk about this.

[@sportivephotoltd7814]

Wow! Thank you so much, I stumbled on this via a tweet from comedian Omid Djalili and am thankful to him for posting too.

[@staydown9156]

Her speech was both effective and engaging. She kept the audience constantly in her speech, avoiding stereotypes. She generally gave examples from life itself. Thanks to this, I was able to empathize easily and I think empathy is the best way to convey an idea. Her’s describing and comparing was really intelligible but I couldn’t understand that why she was making sudden transitions. There could be a significant confusion. Fortunately, she convinced me from the very beginning.

[@jm79design]

Wow. This was truly wonderful to hear. Thank you!

[@gonchello]

Yo, Years of psychologist wasted on this subject just to this 20 minute ted talk to open my eyes

[@urthanjel55]

Luved it....now I truly feel proud of be-ing an introvert. I knew I was okay but now it makes a lot more sense to me. Namaste E1 and Thank you Susan Cain.

[@Rich.3015]

This lady has some great thoughts. The posative traits of introverts AND extroverts should be acknowledged. I dont think one is better than the other though just differant ways of dealing with and or looking at life.

[@DaRealFiberOptix]

this was 1 of my all time favs

[@adanazlcanakcura4069]

That was a great talk and it made me think about myself. When I was twelve, my classmates used to make fun of me because of my reading habit in the breaks. That’s why I’ve felt close to Susan and impressed so much by her speech. I’d love to talk about my memories more however I’m an introvert :))

[@matt9706]

now in middle school i cared what my peers thought of me. in high school this mellowed out but i still felt shy. comunication in high school is like talking to people you think are going to judge you but they dont. cause now when i hear we are going to have a speech i imagine myself up there making a fool of myself i know its not just speeches but also social skills but its connected to what we do in school.

[@sumagurung6670]

As an introvert here I felt that I must change my behavior to open up to outside people to get something I felt like my energy had been drained out talking to someone that I feel uncomfortable talking to but I slowly realized that this is me who I am this Ted show taught me to be myself and not force myself to be a different thing that you are not from the inner you. Introverts can achieve their goals without forcefully interacting with others because we have so much inside us that you are forgetting that an introvert is also someone who can do anything just like an extrovert but in a different role situation.

[@harisanagaram4131]

what a beautiful lecture. I love the suitcase full of books.

[@gsriram3959]

Great and inspiring! Being an introvert I myself have faced a lot of these criticisms. I literally needed to study psychology to reassure myself that I am normal (MBTI to be specific.) My reminiscences are exactly same as described. Thanks for the truth I guess.

[@hihtitmamnan]

I've got the same issues. I still often think there's something wrong with me, perhaps Asperger...

[@kosmique]

great talk. i feel so understood now.

[@user-vm5ud4xw6n]

How many people thought the isolation we just (and to a degree still are) experienced was the best thing ever? It was so nice to have a legit reason not to be bothered with peoples aimless chatter that normally would make you aant to scream. Endless reading, walks by yourself or with your dog. Projects completed without having to make up an excuse why you were shunning “the madding crowd” (Thomas Hardy). Didn’t even have to go to the grocery store and wasn’t THAT a blessing! And the list goes on!

[@farfromnoise]

Great talk. Arguably the best skateboarder of all time created nearly every modern trick used today by himself without any outside influence on how a skateboard should be used. The other top skateboarders of his time also created new tricks by pushing each other and learning from one another, but Rodney Mullen shows what an introvert is capable of.

[@SatanistSin]

Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. - Plato

[@kappaky24]

This is beautiful. Encouraging stuff.

[@tuskinekinase]

I totally agree! I'm never a shy person and I'm good at giving talks and leading discussions, but I just feel that non-necessary interaction with people is consuming huge amount of my energy. Introvert has nothing to do with incapability of social interaction. I perform quite well in large get-togethers, but I would rather go back to my place to write and create things.

[@InternetSandman]

I know that feeling, I've actually lost several friends due to my aversion towards partying and drinking socially, I always find I had more fun on my own with my books or games than I did when I went out and hung out with a group of extroverts.

[@wahkimoocow]

fav ted talk of the year

[@BoDaClown]

It honestly never really occurred to me that I'm a bit of an introvert, this video is awesome! :D

[@sWi5s]

Susan Cain, you are awesome !

[@user-xg8we3bl3i]

I'm an introvert Just want to say thank you for bring this thing up

[@selinklnc4903]

We have a system that knows it is easier to evaluate people in certain patterns. She explained very well that people who could change the mistakes in this system should speak softly instead of silence.

[@deryabuyuker917]

I absoulutely agree with her. Because nowadays people's personal spaces have narrowed and we surrounded by crowds, so we all need a free space to listen to ourselves.

[@shintsu01]

Great Talk. I may say i am a lucky person getting the space and time on both work and private sphere from my college's and vriends to be who i am. But i am sure thats not always the case for everyone. I hope more understanding will be created with her effort to spread the word

[@The_Gallowglass]

She's adorable. Her message is a good one too.

[@blackout_ct1013]

Susan: alot of my friends are extroverts Me: well yeah, same, introverts make friends when an extrovert adopts them 🙂

[@nemessisxone]

Thank you

[@ExecuteOrder.66]

Best youtube channel available. I feel like I'm not going braindead anymore going on youtube and finally got something to kill time with. WOW

[@itzgeebz]

I understand what you are talking about and i feel that a lot!

[@jordanmcbride5845]

She's pretty good at speaking to a huge crowd for such a quiet introvert

[@larryburlingame4782]

Silence is golden and there is not enough of it in our lives. We need the silence to unwind and let our minds go where they want to.

[@dozarklingz]

Thank you, Susan.

[@warriorfire8103]

If have a problem I need help solving or need someone to look at something just for giving me input from their view. The last thing I would need is someone who thought just like me. This is good stuff

[@kj1227icecap]

She is a phenomenal public speaker.

[@ameteuraspirant]

sometimes when I talk, I get the feeling that I'm invisible, someone will ask me something, and while I'm responding, they seem to forget I was talking and start chatting with someone else, it's really interesting to watch this happen, because it may be my personality is so dull that people can't talk to me for more than their attention span allows. although it may also be most of the people I know are very ADHD.

[@wolfhealer4296]

Thank you!

[@Ursichan]

I really enjoyed this speech! I am a very odd individual... Most people think I am VERY extroverted because of all of the energy that I have. But this is only part of the onion that is me, to paraphrase Shrek. When I am working, especially my school work, I would rather be left alone to my own devices. She is absolutely right! I do my best thinking in solitude! Thank you for this speech, Susan. And thank you TedEd for hosting it! I very much enjoy the way that your videos instruct us!

[@mdsquared33]

Like I mentioned before, this is how I come up with my own ideas. I guess what I'm trying to get at is that, I think, most people are a pretty good mix of both and shouldn't feel as though they're pressured into labeling themselves as introverted or extroverted

[@annieb3781]

Well done doing these talks as an introvert 😁

[@HeyDevz]

This inspired me greatly. :')

[@wolftress2503]

There’s something about her mannerisms that reminds me of Phoebe from Friends 😊 (I love her message by the way! Fellow introvert here)

[@bootyclaw]

I had to look her up, but you're right!

[@MrH3nryx]

She has a Phoebe vibe...i love her

[@BoredOneTGO]

There's a 2-part animated series on KZbin called "The Power of Introverts". Totally worth your 13 minutes. Unless you're an extrovert, rushing to get glamourous for that party tonight...

[@Trustn01718]

🤣

[@eastportland]

Thank you.

[@JeremiasSBenitez]

The world needed Susan Cain’s words badly (well at least I did)

[@stribakkiri]

Great info in this vidclip bit.

[@ameteuraspirant]

introverts and extroverts get along really well, even better than two introverts or extroverts, because one will talk a lot and one will either be listening or look like they're listening, which is why you see so many couples of a mixed type.

[@Du7daniel1]

I would love to have she or someone explain the best tips how to cope as an introvert working in a public space, and being forced to talk all day. My partner could use some help. It's hard to find videos on this specifically. A lot of videos on best jobs for one. The others focus on career people in offices, that have options for outsourcing, or taking quiet time. But, what if you work in a busy casino and cant just walk away? I Would love to hear some honest, sincere feedback. I really need help. Thanks

[@ASusan89]

Wow this was great

[@mrsaoomen]

I clicked like when she said: Stop the madness for constant group working. I don't understand for the life of me understand why people always feel the need to get together for everything.

[@uniquesensitivesnowflake7366]

well Im glad im not alone

[@donnie1238]

I am a social introvert and I love art and anime and and I’m playful and happy and reserved with my family and friends but when it comes to talking to people who I don’t know very well and I don’t feel comfortable and shy.

[@andyfrancisco9115]

Great!!!

[@JohnrenD]

Very nice.

[@TheRoxen92]

I absolutely agree, 100% with her! I’m an extremely introvert. Just out of the blue, am I the only one who kinda see it a resemblance between Susan and Phoebe from Friends? I don’t know the voice, the way she moves...

[@Zralf]

i think this is a re-upload, i remember this one. that or i had a full-episode-long clairvoyance vision.

[@ET_LWO]

self-fulfilling prophecies, labeling theory, & personality

[@stonedogre]

excellent.

[@iamtherealrenedescartes]

Is it possible to become an introvert after being an extravert? Because that's what it feels like for me. After being an extravert at school, it made me realise how little I enjoyed working as a group, being at parties and loud social gatherings etc.

[@Hexatomb]

+Dom Jarre This was an old comment but I'll say that there is a tendency to switch from extroversion to introversion as one ages.

[@hihtitmamnan]

@@Hexatomb this is even older comment but I'll say people change and it's normal. I used to like interactions with other children until they started disappointing me.

[@LynneSkysong]

I've already seen this and loved it. Did it get upgrade from a another channel?

[@Sagaepic]

I completely agree!

[@spragona]

I'm an introvert and I know that when one has something to say they will speak, regardless of being introverted or extroverted. :)

[@RyuseiKitadama]

The book is a project. The book needs you in the same was that you feel you're neglecting a responsibility to take care of your projects. It's a bit of a challenge to stay balanced between taking care of your projects vs. getting swarmed by keeping up with them.

[@Saurocksall]

she is correct about the social forces that pull us towards being an extrovert.. i hate when friends take me to some random party and i get pissed of because i don't know anyone there and have to waste my time until the party is finally over ... god i hate it so much..

[@tusharbelkhede]

I was not introvert since childhool or schooldays. As maturity hitted, I became an introvert🚹

[@MehthodMan]

I agree. One solution to this thinking is to understand the origin of these words. Carl Jung put forward fresh thinking about how all people hold aspects of male and female, introvert and extrovert, divine and beastly. If people would only learn or remember the yin/yang like harmony behind these words, there would be little or no divide between the two types.

[@LAJay101]

Quick Question? Why are public school students not openly watching this?

[@Phillie103]

I think this was also uploaded to Ted Directors, they just wanted to upload it here as well.

[@unvrknow22]

She gets me!