When Has Introversion Become Popular?

23 Signs You're Secretly An Introvert

Is it just me, or has there currently been a plethora of articles and books touting the benefits of introversion and introverted people?  These subject-specific writings typically state introvert traits and then attempt to explain them through an extrovert's eyes.  I get that the mutual understanding and respect of personality and relational differences, rather than finger pointing or dismissal, is important to general societal well-being and personal relationships--but when has the quiet, thoughtful type become popular?  I understand the marketing value; it is the popularization of the concept itself (which is by definition the opposite of extroversion) that I do not understand, since introverts tend to avoid the crowds, so to speak.  We have always been misunderstood and misinterpreted, so why all the fuss now?  Maybe it's pure inquisitiveness.

On the topic of introversion vs. extroversion, a confusing thing about the whole introvert-extrovert spectrum, because it really is a spectrum, is that humans are far more complex than we acknowledge ourselves to be.  We derive our stolid importance from our black-and-white categorizations, our personality tests, and our personal identifications--which more often than not are rigid and lean strongly towards the extrovert ideal as the measuring point.  The truth is that most of us fall somewhere in between on this spectrum, although we are sometimes unsure of how far we lean to the left or right.  Being comfortable in one's skin is the key here because as we all know, popularity is a fickle, unpredictable bedfellow that is both a sign of the times and yes, faddish.

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If you're interested in reading about introversion, I highly suggest Susan Cain's Quiet.