The theory of evolution. The theory of relativity. The Cat in the Hat1）. All were brought to you by introverts.

Our culture is biased against quiet and reserved people， but introverts are responsible for some of humanitys greatest achievements—from Steve Wozniaks invention of the Apple computer to J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter. And these introverts did what they did not in spite of their temperaments—but because of them.

As the science journalist Winifred Gallagher writes： “The glory of the disposition that stops to consider stimuli rather than rushing to engage with them is its long association with intellectual and artistic achievement. Neither E = mc2 nor Paradise Lost2） was dashed off3） by a party animal.”

Introverts make up a third to a half the population. Thats one out of every two or three people you know.

Yet our most important institutions—our schools and our workplaces—are designed for extroverts. And were living with a value system that I call the New Groupthink， where we believe that all creativity and productivity comes from an oddly gregarious place.

Picture the typical classroom. When I was a kid， we sat in rows of desks， and we did most of our work autonomously. But nowadays many students sit in “pods” of desks with four or five students facing each other， and they work on countless group projects—even in subjects like math and creative writing. Kids who prefer to work by themselves dont fit， and research by educational psychology professor Charles Meisgeier found that the majority of teachers believe the ideal student is an extrovert—even though introverts tend to get higher grades， according to psychologist Adrian Furnham.

The same thing happens at work. Many of us now work in offices without walls， with no respite4） from the noise and gaze of co-workers. And introverts are routinely passed over5） for leadership positions， even though the latest research by the management professor Adam Grant at Wharton shows that introverted leaders often deliver better results. Theyre better at letting proactive employees run with their creative ideas， while extroverts can unwittingly put their own stamp on things and not realize that other peoples ideas arent being heard.

Of course， we all fall at different points along the introvert-extrovert spectrum. Even Carl Jung， who popularized these terms in the first place， said there was no such thing as a pure introvert or a pure extrovert—that “such a man would be in a lunatic6） asylum.” Theres also a term， ambivert7）， for people who fall smack8） in the middle of the spectrum.

But many of us recognize ourselves as one or the other. And culturally we need a better balance of yin and yang between the two types. In fact， we often seek out this balance instinctively. Thats why we see so many introvert-extrovert couples （Im an introvert happily married to an extrovert） and the most effective work teams have been found to be a mix of the two types.

The need for balance is especially important when it comes to creativity and productivity. When psychologists look at the lives of the most creative people， they almost always find a serious streak9） of introversion because solitude is a crucial ingredient for creativity.

Charles Darwin took long walks alone in the woods and emphatically10） turned down dinner party invitations. Theodore Geisel， better known as Dr. Seuss， dreamed up his creations in a private bell tower in the back of his house in La Jolla. Steve Wozniak invented the first Apple computer alone in his cubicle at Hewlett Packard.

Of course， this doesnt mean that we should stop collaborating with each other—witness Wozniak teaming up with Steve Jobs to form Apple. But it does mean that solitude matters. And for some people its the air they breathe.

In fact， weve known about the transcendent power of solitude for centuries； its only recently that weve forgotten it. Our major religions all tell the story of seekers—Moses， Jesus， Mohammed， Buddha—who go off alone， to the wilderness， and bring profound revelations back to the community. No wilderness， no revelations.

This is no surprise， if you listen to the insights of contemporary psychology. It turns out that you cant be in a group without instinctively mimicking others opinions—even about personal， visceral11） things like who youre physically attracted to. We ape12） other peoples beliefs without even realizing were doing it.

Groups also tend to follow the most dominant person in the room even though theres zero correlation between good ideas and being a good talker. The best talker might have the best ideas， but she might not. So its much better to send people off to generate ideas by themselves， freed from the distortion of group dynamics， and only then come together as a team.

Im not saying that social skills are unimportant， or that we should abolish teamwork. The same religions that send their sages off to lonely mountaintops also teach us love and trust. And the problems we face today in fields like economics and science are more complex than ever， and need armies of people to solve them.

But I am saying that we all need alone time. And that the more freedom we give introverts to be themselves， the more theyll dream up their own unique solutions to the problems that bedevil us.

进化论。相对论。《戴帽子的猫》。所有这些都是由性格内向的人带给我们的。

我们的文化对性格沉静、内敛的人存在偏见，但内向型性格的人创造了人类最为杰出的一些成就——史蒂夫·沃兹尼亚克发明了苹果电脑，J. K. 罗琳写出了《哈利·波特》，不一而足。这些内向型的人能取得如此成就并不是因为他们克服了自己的内向性格，而是因为他们有这样的性格。

正如科学记者威妮弗雷德·加拉格尔所言：“这种性格使人在面对新鲜刺激的事物时会停下来思考，而不是风风火火地投入其中。其倍受赞誉之处就在于它与智力成果和艺术成就的长久渊源。无论是方程式E = mc2还是《失乐园》都不是派对狂匆匆创造出来的成果。”

内向型的人占所有人口的1/3到1/2。也就是说在你认识的人中，每两三个人就有一个是内向型的。

然而，我们最为重要的机构——我们的学校和工作单位——都是为外向型的人设计的。我们所处的价值体系认为所有的创造力和生产力都来自某个古怪的群体场合，我称这种价值体系为“新式群体思维”。

想象一下典型的教室。在我小时候，我们坐在成排的课桌后，大部分作业都是独立完成的。但如今，许多学生都是四五个一组，面对面坐在围成“豆荚式”的课桌旁，做着数不清的小组任务——即使像数学课和创意写作之类的课程也不例外。那些喜欢独自完成功课的孩子无法适应。教育心理学教授查尔斯·梅斯盖尔的研究发现，大多数老师都认为理想的学生是外向型的，即便心理学家阿德里安·弗恩海姆发现内向型学生的分数往往更高。……