Between half and two thirds of us, says Susan Cain in this elegant study, are extroverts. The rest are introverts. Whether you’re one or the other, she says, is the most important thing about your personality. Extroverts are “gregarious, alpha, and comfortable in the spotlight” while introverts prefer quiet contemplation. When something is happening, they are not desperate to get involved. Cain, an introvert herself, tells us about famous introverts — Newton, Einstein, Proust, Orwell among them. But introverts have a problem: the world is changing. It’s becoming more extrovert, which is a pity.
