沉默是金新解

    “我们发现太多的人都在焦躁不安地说个不停。说这么多除了浪费大量时间之外，几乎对这个世界毫无益处。”——圣雄甘地

    美国是性格外向者的天下，因此，不习惯让自己马上进入状态、每时每刻都融入周围环境的人日子或许很不好过。我们这个以名人为导向的文化青睐的是声如洪钟、血气方刚、直奔主题的人，同时为我们中间那些安静、沉思和拘谨的人设置了重重社会障碍。于是，我们被淹没在了由自我推销、广告，以及主要与名人有关的所谓“新闻”所构成的白噪音之中。

    现在让我们来认识一下曾经代理过摩根大通（JP Morgan）和通用电气（General Electric）等公司法律事务的前华尔街律师苏珊•凯恩。她后来成为一名谈判顾问，为包括对冲基金经理和电视节目制作人在内的众多职场人士提供培训服务。在《静水流深：喧嚣世界里内向者的力量》（QUIET -- The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking ）一书中，苏珊•凯恩把目光投向了一个她声称是自己同类的群体：性格内向的人。

    凯恩在书中探讨了这个（大约）占据三分之一人口的群体所面临的问题、他们的挫折以及成就。通过借鉴大量的心理学和社会学研究成果，她对性格内向者的行为方式进行了解读。

    虽然凯恩的证据并非全是新的，但书中提及的许多例证的确不为普通读者所熟知。比如，1987年一项针对计算机程序员的研究发现，最富有生产力的编码员产生的工作成果要比生产力最低下的同事多10倍。这项研究发现，编码员的生产率与其年龄、接受的培训、经验和所在公司并不存在相关性。相反，影响生产率最大的单一因素是工作是否有过中断。很符合情理，对不对？计算机程序员这项工作吸引了许多性格内向的人，因为他们喜欢在一个安静的地方思考问题。

    凯恩用源源不断的事实、访谈和性格内向者的经历牢牢抓住了读者的心。这些性格内向的人调整自我以适应这个嘈杂喧闹、随机连接的社会，有些人做到了，但有些人却没有。她发现，内向性格在远东地区更为普遍，其核心价值也更受珍视，这一点从她对亚裔美国大学生的访谈中可见一斑。

    作者对工商界有着切身的了解，在书中为企业经理人和人力资源专业人士提供了无数颇具价值的洞见。比如，她指出，小组头脑风暴会议和开放式办公环境往往适合于性格外向者，但或许会产生一效果，使性格更为内向的同事“噤若寒蝉”。

    这本书的最后一部分主要是向性格内向者传授如何应对一个性格外向者大行其道的社会。尽管此处略显累赘，但对于性格内向者的老师和家长来说，凯恩提供的建议却弥足珍贵。

    凡是关心人们的思考、工作和交往方式的人，以及希望了解身边同事行为模式背后原因的人，应该都会对《静水流深》这本书感兴趣。这本书对于性格内向者（以及他们的父母）来说更是不容错过，或许人们可以用来帮助自己提升自信。总体而言，我认为凯恩这部著作有着广泛的读者。我猜想，大约占总人口三分之一吧。

    译者：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.