The Power of Introverts (with Susan Cain)

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4.7 • 4.4K Ratings

🗓️ 2 March 2026

⏱️ 68 minutes

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Summary

Introverts are underrated. So says Susan Cain in her conversation with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about her book, Quiet. She explains why introversion isn't the same thing as shyness and she speaks of the many benefits of solitude and silent contemplation. They also discuss why modern schools and workplaces' obsession with extroversion is problematic, and the reasons for the shift from a culture of character to our current culture of personality. Cain concludes by sharing how the book has changed her own life and helped other introverts navigate a world that can't seem to stop talking.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Econ Talk, Conversations for the Curious, part of the Library of Economics and Liberty.
0:07.9	I'm your host, Russ Roberts, of Sholem College in Jerusalem and Stanford University's Hoover Institution.
0:13.8	Go to EconTalk.org, where you can subscribe, comment on this episode, and find links and other information related to today's conversation.
0:21.2	You'll also find our archives with every episode we've done going back to 2006.
0:26.7	Our email address is mail at econTalk.org.
0:30.0	We'd love to hear from you.
0:36.6	Today is January 13th, 2026, and my guest is author Susan Kane.
0:42.6	This is Susan's second appearance on Econ Talk.
0:45.1	She was last here in October of 2024 discussing her book Bitter Sweet.
0:50.7	Our topic for today is her 2012 book, Quiet, The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking.
0:59.0	Susan, welcome back to Econ Talk.
1:01.6	Thank you so much, Russ. It's great to be here. I'm a huge fan.
1:05.3	I think I'm the last person to read this book. Everyone I know has read it.
1:11.1	It made a big splash when it came out.
1:14.2	And as I joked with you before we started,
1:16.9	I've read it more recently than you have,
1:18.8	which gives me a certain advantage,
1:21.0	but I'm sure you remember a little bit about it.
1:23.5	How did you come to write the book?
1:27.4	Well, I had been living this topic all my life because I am an introvert in an extroverted world,
1:34.7	and this is something I'd been thinking about since I was four years old.
1:40.0	You know, I didn't have a vocabulary for talking about it or thinking about it when I was a kid.
	...

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