????“我們發現太多的人都在焦躁不安地說個不停。說這么多除了浪費大量時間之外，幾乎對這個世界毫無益處。”——圣雄甘地

????美國是性格外向者的天下，因此，不習慣讓自己馬上進入狀態、每時每刻都融入周圍環境的人日子或許很不好過。我們這個以名人為導向的文化青睞的是聲如洪鐘、血氣方剛、直奔主題的人，同時為我們中間那些安靜、沉思和拘謹的人設置了重重社會障礙。于是，我們被淹沒在了由自我推銷、廣告，以及主要與名人有關的所謂“新聞”所構成的白噪音之中。

????現在讓我們來認識一下曾經代理過摩根大通（JP Morgan）和通用電氣（General Electric）等公司法律事務的前華爾街律師蘇珊?凱恩。她后來成為一名談判顧問，為包括對沖基金經理和電視節目制作人在內的眾多職場人士提供培訓服務。在《靜水流深：喧囂世界里內向者的力量》（QUIET -- The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking ）一書中，蘇珊?凱恩把目光投向了一個她聲稱是自己同類的群體：性格內向的人。

????凱恩在書中探討了這個（大約）占據三分之一人口的群體所面臨的問題、他們的挫折以及成就。通過借鑒大量的心理學和社會學研究成果，她對性格內向者的行為方式進行了解讀。

????雖然凱恩的證據并非全是新的，但書中提及的許多例證的確不為普通讀者所熟知。比如，1987年一項針對計算機程序員的研究發現，最富有生產力的編碼員產生的工作成果要比生產力最低下的同事多10倍。這項研究發現，編碼員的生產率與其年齡、接受的培訓、經驗和所在公司并不存在相關性。相反，影響生產率最大的單一因素是工作是否有過中斷。很符合情理，對不對？計算機程序員這項工作吸引了許多性格內向的人，因為他們喜歡在一個安靜的地方思考問題。

????凱恩用源源不斷的事實、訪談和性格內向者的經歷牢牢抓住了讀者的心。這些性格內向的人調整自我以適應這個嘈雜喧鬧、隨機連接的社會，有些人做到了，但有些人卻沒有。她發現，內向性格在遠東地區更為普遍，其核心價值也更受珍視，這一點從她對亞裔美國大學生的訪談中可見一斑。

????作者對工商界有著切身的了解，在書中為企業經理人和人力資源專業人士提供了無數頗具價值的洞見。比如，她指出，小組頭腦風暴會議和開放式辦公環境往往適合于性格外向者，但或許會產生一效果，使性格更為內向的同事“噤若寒蟬”。

????這本書的最后一部分主要是向性格內向者傳授如何應對一個性格外向者大行其道的社會。盡管此處略顯累贅，但對于性格內向者的老師和家長來說，凱恩提供的建議卻彌足珍貴。

????凡是關心人們的思考、工作和交往方式的人，以及希望了解身邊同事行為模式背后原因的人，應該都會對《靜水流深》這本書感興趣。這本書對于性格內向者（以及他們的父母）來說更是不容錯過，或許人們可以用來幫助自己提升自信?？傮w而言，我認為凱恩這部著作有著廣泛的讀者。我猜想，大約占總人口三分之一吧。

????譯者：任文科

????"We find so many people impatient to talk. All this talking can hardly be said to be of any benefit to the world. It is so much waste of time." --Mahatma Gandhi

????Extroverts rule in American society, which can make life difficult for those who aren't comfortable imposing themselves, instantly and constantly, on their surroundings. Our celebrity-driven culture favors loud, impulsive, forthright folk and sets up social hazards for the quiet, thoughtful and reserved among us. As a result we're swamped by the white noise of self-promotion, advertising, and so-called "news" about, mostly, celebrity.

????Enter Susan Cain, a former Wall Street attorney who represented clients like JP Morgan and General Electric. That led to a career as a negotiations consultant, training everyone from hedge fund managers to TV producers. In QUIET -- The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, she sets her sights on the tribe she claims as her own, introverts.

????Cain explores the issues, frustrations, and accomplishments of the (approximately) one-third of the population who fall on this side of the personality curve. Drawing on extensive psychological and sociological research, she explains why introverts act the way they do.

????While not all of Cain's evidence is new, much of it will be unfamiliar to lay readers. For example, a 1987 study of computer programmers found that the most productive coders generated 10 times more work than their least productive colleagues. The study found no correlation between productivity on one hand, and age, training, experience, or company on the other. Rather, the single biggest factor in their productivity was lack of interruptions. Makes sense, right? Computer programming attracts many introverts who like a quiet place to think.

????Cain holds the reader's interest with a steady stream of facts, interviews and stories about introverts who have adjusted (or not) to a loud, boisterous, casually connected society. She finds that introversion is more common and its defining values more valued in the Far East, a theme that emerges in interviews with Asian-American college students.

????The author's intimate knowledge of the corporate world fuels numerous useful insights for managers and HR professionals. For example, she notes that group brainstorming sessions and open-plan offices tend to suit extroverts but may have a chilling effect on more introverted colleagues.

????The last part of the book is focused on teaching introverts how to cope in an extroverted society. Although the story drags a bit here, Cain offers a wealth of useful advice for teachers and parents of introverts.

????QUIET should interest anyone who cares about how people think, work, and get along, or wonders why the guy in the next cubicle acts that way. It should be required reading for introverts (or their parents) who could use a boost to their self-esteem. Overall I think Cain will reach a wide audience. About a third of us, I suspect.