Great story on NPR/TEDtalk show, definitely plan to get Susan Cain’s book
There's something about [solitude] in our culture that's... not permissable, or threatening, or not cool.
Although our culture undervalues them dramatically, introverts have made some of the great contributions to society: Chopin's nocturnes, the invention of the personal computer, to Gandhi's transformative leadership. Cain argues that schools, workplaces and religious institutions are designed for extroverts, and that this bias creates a waste of talent, energy and happiness.
Check out the NPR link: http://www.npr.org/2012/06/08/154457233/how-do-introverts-share-ideas