Quiet, a book by Susan Cain, was quite an eye opener for me. Cain writes variously about the creative genius often present in the introverts among us, the strengths and weaknesses of both introverts and extroverts, and the bias in western culture towards extroverts. We perceive those who exhibit extroversion to be smarter, better, and more desirable. Yet statistics show that introverts, when not forced into situations better suited for extroverts, are quite creative and hard working. They foster deep friendships with a few. They are known for deep, careful thinking about difficult problems. They are known to persevere when their extroverted cousins would have quit and moved on. 

Among the most-surprising of the research results in Cain’s book is the discussion of stimulation. Referencing the work of research psychologist Hans Eysenck, Cain points out that the difference between an introvert and extrovert is primarily the amount of stimulation they are comfortable with. A snippet from the book:

For several decades, beginning in the late 1960s, an influential research psychologist named Hans Eysenck hypothesized that human beings seek “just right” levels of stimulation—not too much and not too little. Stimulation is the amount of input we have coming in from the outside world. It can take any number of forms, from noise to social life to flashing lights. Eysenck believed that extroverts prefer more stimulation than introverts do, and that this explained many of their differences: introverts enjoy shutting the doors to their offices and plunging into their work, because for them this sort of quiet intellectual activity is optimally stimulating, while extroverts function best when engaged in higher-wattage activities like organizing team-building workshops or chairing meetings.

 The implications of stimulus are huge. This is why introverts thrive when they have their own office while extroverts thrive in open-office environments. We can’t have a one-size-fits-all office environment. People must have both places to collaborate and places to do deep thinking without distractions.

If you’re a manager, there’s another implication: give your team as much uninterrupted time as possible. A Slack message, a meeting in the middle of the afternoon, and an unscheduled visit to their cube all represent stimulation.