From Dominic Owens, Cambridge, UK
As a life-long introvert, I was taken aback by the advice in the book Me, But Better, which was reviewed in your pages. Forcing yourself to conform to perceived societal expectations around sociability is a recipe for disaster in the long term. Accepting yourself, on the other hand, fosters self-compassion that brings long-term happiness and, ironically, the change that many of us introverts desire (22 March, p 27).
I would like to point the interested reader to Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking, by Susan Cain. A gift from my university supervisor, that book helped me to understand and accept myself — and taught me that many of society’s most celebrated figures, including Albert Einstein and Rosa Parks, were introverts.
