Susan Cain is author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. The book and her popular TED Talk have sparked a national conversation about introverts, who comprise a third to a half of every workplace and classroom.

Quiet was an instant New York Times best-seller, has been translated into 30 languages, and was one of the most talked about books of 2012. Cain’s TED talk garnered a standing ovation and smashed a first-week record with more than a million views. It has long since passed four million views.

In her talk and her book, Cain argues that we design our schools, workplaces, and religious institutions for extroverts, and that this bias creates a waste of talent, energy, and happiness. Based on intensive research in psychology and neurobiology and on prolific interviews, she also explains why introverts are capable of great love and great achievement, not in spite of their temperaments, but because of them.

Fast Company magazine writes that Cain’s work has “galvanized a movement against society’s blanket favoritism toward loud-talking, brainstorm-favoring extroverts.” Cain has shared her insights with Google, Microsoft, and the United States Treasury.

A Princeton and Harvard Law School-educated lawyer, Susan Cain practiced corporate law for seven years, representing clients such as General Electric, and was a negotiations consultant, where she trained hedge fund managers, television producers, and even college graduates navigating their first jobs.

What People are Saying About Susan Cain

“[Susan] Cain offers a wealth of useful advice for teachers and parents of introverts."
—Fortune.com

"Drawing on neuroscientific research and many case reports, Susan Cain explains the advantages and potentials of introversion and of being quiet in a noisy world."
—Andrew Weil, author of Healthy Aging and Spontaneous Happiness

"[Susan] Cain encourages solitude seekers to see themselves anew: not as wallflowers but as powerful forces to be reckoned with."
Whole Living