No.1 Natural psychologists
Extroverts seem matched in the social world. They’re confident, and enthusiastic, they enjoy the spotlight. They like meeting new people and gathering all kinds of energy from their environment. In every social situation, we assume extroverts have the advantage. But is that always true? Do introverts have any social advantages over extroverts? Okay, imagine you’re looking at a group of people, they’re talking, they’re chatting, they’re laughing, and an extrovert would casually join in and mingle with the crowd, right? But an introvert would stand in the background. Instead of participating, introverts preferred to look from a distance. They meet less people and make less connections, but introverts spend their time observing others. So, they have a keen understanding of people, groups and social expectations. They spend so much time watching people, they noticed social phenomenon that very few people would ever see. A study from Yale University published in the journal Social Psychology put this introverted skill set to the test. They challenged both introverts and extroverts to take a quiz on social psychology. For this quiz, you had to identify different socio psychological phenomenon by observing a regular group of people. So, who do you think perform better? Hypersocial extroverts or shy independent introverts? Well, the researchers expected social butterflies to score the highest on the squiz, but the data showed exactly the opposite. The shiest introverts significantly outperformed the most social extroverts. The shiest people performed better than anyone in the entire experiment. These introverts recognize complex social phenomenon which many people never knew existed. These are the kinds of complicated trends that you learn about in a college course on social psychology. Yet, these introverts with no background in the subject observed social biases and paradoxes of human nature. Now, while they don’t know enough to conduct research or take on clients, their powers of observation make introverts into natural psychologists.
psychologist n.[心理]心理学家
extroverts 外向型人格
spotlight n.聚光灯，反光灯；媒体和公众的注意；聚光灯照明圈
assume 认为，觉得
casually adv.随意地，漫不经心地；临时地；偶然地
mingle v.（在聚会中）应酬，交际；（使）混合
keen adj.思维敏捷的，敏锐的；（目光或听觉）灵敏的
quiz n.问答比赛，智力竞赛；<美>小测验
socio adj.社会的
hypersocial adj.社交频繁的
butterflies n.蝴蝶（butterfly 的复数）
opposite adj.完全相反的，截然不同的；相反的，另一边的；（在说话者、所指的人或物）对面的；（角）对的；（叶，芽）对生的
n.对立的人（或物），对立面；反义词 adv.在对面，在对过 prep.在……对面，与……相对；与……合演，与……联袂演出
significantly adv.显著地，相当数量地；值得注意的是（用于表示某事非常重要）；意味深长地，别有含意地
outperformed v．胜过，优于
paradoxes n.[数]悖论（paradox 的复数）
human nature 人性
conduct v.实施，进行；指挥；带领，引导；举止，表现；传导 n.行为，举止；经营方式，管理方法
No.2 Heightened Self-awareness
Introverts spend most of their time by themselves. So, they get to know themselves much better than most, they learn each and every one of their strengths and weaknesses, they explore their passions to the fullest, they challenged their own ways of thinking. Yeah, introverts struggle outside their personal bubble or taking risks. But inside that bubble, introverts are a force to be reckoned with because they know themselves so well. Introverts are profoundly self-aware. They can and will carefully examine their own experiences. They regularly think back on what they say and do, and they’re always aware of how their own actions affect others. But introverts don’t do this by accident. No. Introverts intentionally analyze themselves, and they like doing it. Many introverts turn self-exploration into a part of their regular routine. They challenge their creative side with new hobbies. They gained diverse perspectives by reading books, and they go out of their way to consider and apply the wisdom of others. If extroverts like to explore the world, introverts like to explore themselves. And that exploration makes them incredibly self-aware.
heightened v.提高，升高（heighten 的过去式和过去分词）
self-awareness n.自我意识
learn 了解
to the fullest 充分地；完全地；尽情地
reckoned v．认为，估计，计算
profoundly 深刻地
examine 审视
by accident 偶然地、意外地
intentionally adv.故意地，有意地
self-aware adj.有自知之明的
No.3 Patient Ambition
Are introverts and extroverts motivated differently. Well, let’s think about motivation, is everyone in the world motivated the same way? Do the same things inspire you, your friends or your co-workers? The truth is, different personalities are motivated by different things. Extroverts, for example, are often motivated by short-term rewards. They work best when receiving rewards early and often, it keeps their confidence an energy high when extroverts bounce from one reward to the next. This is a little confusing. Let’s think about this in a different way. Imagine an extrovert operating in any social situation, we know that extroverts prioritize quantity over quality, right? Are they jump for one short conversation to the next, they’ll meet someone new, laugh for a few minutes, then move on to another brief but exciting interaction. That way, their spirits stay high, in the confidence stay strong. Well, extroverts work just like they socialize, they like short sprints from one reward to the next, because it maintains a constant sense of excitement and enthusiasm. Now, let’s think about how introverts socialize. They’re the opposite of extroverts. So, quality over quantity. Instead of many short conversations, they prefer one or two long conversations. Can they work the exact same way, they like deeper, more substantial projects which force them to invest in a long-term solution. Introverts have no problem delaying gratification in favor of a bigger payoff. Extroverts would find this frustrating and discouraging, but introverts are patient. So, they prefer long-term success over short-term rewards.
prioritize v.按优先顺序列出；优先考虑（处理）
socialize v.交往，交际；使合群，使适应社会生活；使社会主义化，按社会主义原则行事
sprints n.短跑（sprint 的复数）；冲刺跑 v.奋力而跑（sprint 的第三人称单数形式）
substantial 实质性的
gratification n.满足，令人喜悦的事物
in favor of 支持；赞同；偏向于
payoff 回报
No.4 Greater Concentration
There are many advantages to staying out of the spotlight, and concentration is one of the biggest. Introverts excel at tuning out the rest of the world, they like to get lost in their own work, ideas and passions. The simple truth is, compared to extroverts, they’re less interested in the outside world. So, it’s easier for introverts to avoid external distractions. They’re less tempted to attend every event, they don’t need to jump into every conversation, they have an easier time tuning out the rest of the world, because their brains would rather focus on work. Now, as you can imagine this skill set works wonders for their concentration. At home and in the workplace, you’re surrounded by distracting stimuli – phones ringing, co-workers chatting, the list goes on and on. But what happens when you ignore all these distracting stimuli? This simple change increases your productivity by leaps and bounds. That’s why introverts make some of the most efficient workers. They’re focused and productive, they rarely stray from their responsibilities and they don’t mind investing extra time in their work. Greater concentration also creates more effective leadership, it helps introverted bosses lead by example. When you sit down and hash out a problem, it inspires others to follow in your footsteps.
staying out of vt.置身于……之外
concentration 专注
excel at 擅长于
tuning out 忽略，不反应
tempted adj.被引诱 (而想做) 的 v.怂恿；引诱，诱惑（tempt的过去分词）
stimuli n.刺激（物），促进因素；（使生物产生反应的）刺激，刺激物；刺激性，趣味性（stimulus 的复数）
the list goes on and on 这样的例子不胜枚举
leaps v.猛冲，突然而迅速地移动；剧增，猛涨（leap 的第三人称单数）n.跳跃，跳高；骤变，激增（leap 的复数）
bounds n.界限；跳动（bound 的复数）v.跳跃；弹回；限定；邻接（bound 的三单形式）
stray from 偏离
lead by example 以身作则
hash out 讨论，商讨
No.5 Genuine Humility
Some extraverts live fast and furious lives. So, they rarely stop to think about their own egos. They get caught up in the attention and adrenaline. They soak up the spotlight, and they begin to think they’re better than everybody else. These extroverts become arrogant without even noticing. Introverts, on the other hand, tend to be modest. They’re used to sitting on the sidelines. They don’t mind fading into the background. This lack of attention works to nurture a healthy ego by allowing introverts to acknowledge their flaws. But it’s not all good news, very few introverts are cocky, but many struggle with low self-esteem. When you spend all your time out of the spotlight, you start to criticize yourself. You adopt a self-deprecating mindset that drives your self-esteem into the ground. So, if you’re an introvert, you need to keep your self-esteem in check. Humility is one of your strongest assets, but don’t forget you’re just as valuable as anybody else.
genuine adj.真正的，非伪造的；真诚的，真心的
humility n.谦逊，谦恭
furious adj.狂怒的，暴怒的；狂暴的，猛烈的；喧闹的，热烈兴奋的
egos n.自我（ego 的复数）
adrenaline n.[生化] 肾上腺素
soak up 吸收；消耗；享受
modest adj.不太多的，适中的；谦虚的，谦逊的；保守的，端庄的；不错的；（服装）不显身材的；羞怯的，腼腆的
sidelines n.（球场）边线；端线
sitting on the sidelines 旁观，袖手旁观
nurture v.培养，促进；养育，培育
acknowledge 承认
flaws n.[材]缺陷；[力]裂缝
cocky adj.自大的；骄傲的；过于自信的
self-esteem n.自尊（心）
self-deprecating adj.自贬的；谦虚的
keep your self-esteem in check 控制你的自尊
No.6 Careful Decision Making
Who makes smarter choices, introverts or extroverts? Many extroverts gets swept up in the heat of the moment. So, they make impulsive decisions. They don’t think through their actions, and instead, do something that they ultimately regret. Introverts rarely make this mistake. They’re less vulnerable to that big wave of excitement and enthusiastic. They rarely make snap decisions or act purely on their emotions. Instead, introverts are careful decision makers. They like to explore their options before making up their minds. Now, this slows many introverts down, they may take weeks or months to make a decision. But introverts ultimately make more satisfying choices, because they know they did their homework with thoughtful consideration, comes sound judgment and greater confidence in your final decision. In the workplace, this introverted skill set is invaluable. As a worker, it empowers you to think strategically and avoid impulsive behavior. As a leader, introverts guide their teams in the right direction by inspiring confidence in those who follow you. So, yeah, introverts make slow decisions, and yeah, they research every little thing before making up their minds. If you’re an extrovert, this may seem strange, you may tell your introverted friends to live a little. But these thoughtful decisions make introvert some of the most decisive people in the world.
swept up 润胀，膨胀
of the moment 一时的
impulsive 冲动的
regret 后悔
vulnerable adj.（身体或精神）脆弱的，易受伤的；（事物、人或地方）易受攻击的，易受伤害的；易患病的
snap adj.突然的，仓促的
invaluable 无价的
strategically adv.战略性地；战略上
live a little 活一点
No.7 Dauntless Determination
How much time do you spend solving a problem? Will you wrestle with any problem for as long as it takes? Many extraverts wave the white flag early on, they give up as soon as any problem becomes too difficult, it makes them restless and frustrating. So, they move on to something else, something that doesn’t feel like a waste of time. Now, in general, extroverts don’t like uncertainty. If things feel cloudy or out of control, they lose interest, why is that? Well, think back to our conversation about motivation, extroverts are more motivated by external rewards, they look for positive motivators from their environment, and they work best when meeting small and frequent milestones. But introverts draw motivation from larger intrinsic accomplishments. To an introvert, solving a difficult problem after hours of doubt and deliberation is a reward in itself. So, the average introvert will pour absurd amounts of time and effort into a challenging problem. They’ll dive deep, they’ll explore all the options, they’ll try and fail until finally they discover the right answer. This skill set has all kinds of practical applications. It’s one of the reasons why introverts are so successful in our competitive world. When they see a difficult problem, they spend years of their life determined to solve it. Yeah, it’s hard work, it takes all kinds of sacrifices. But when they find the answer, all their hard work finally pays off.
dauntless adj.无畏的；勇敢的；不屈不挠的
determination n.决心，坚定
wrestle v.（与某人）摔跤，扭打；使劲搬动，用力操作；努力解决，艰难对付
early on 在早期；从事，经营；继续下去
restless adj.坐立不安的
frustrating adj.令人懊恼的，令人沮丧的
draw motivation 获得动力
accomplishments n.造诣（accomplishment 的复数）
deliberation n.考虑，思考；从容，审慎；审议，商议；考虑，细想
pour 投入
absurd adj.愚蠢的，荒谬的
sacrifices n.牺牲，损失；献身，供奉
Comments