While extroverts tend to gain their energy in social situations, introverts typically recharge throug solitude and feel drained from too much stimulation. It might be easy to assume that those who gravitate toward the spotlight of fame are extroverts, but the truth is that many of our most prominent faces, past and present, have actually identified as introverts.
Introverts are hardly a bunch of shy wallflowers -- they are proven leaders who can make great public speakers. Don't believe us? Check out the list of 16 prominent introverts below. Keep in mind, too, that the famous faces listed below comprise just a drop in the bucket -- the list of famous introverts also often includes Michael Jordan, Gwyneth Paltrow, Harrison Ford, Charles Darwin and David Letterman, among many others.
J.K. Rowling
The Harry Potter creator, who was recently revealed as the author of The Cuckoo's Calling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, is frequently cited as an introvert.
Bill Gates
Writer and introvert expert Susan Cain describes the Microsoft co-founder and chairman as an introvert.
Abraham Lincoln
"In the nation’s earlier years it was easier for introverts to earn respect," Cain said in a Q&A with Amazon.com. "America once embodied what the cultural historian Warren Susman called a 'Culture of Character,' which valued inner strength, integrity, and the good deeds you performed when no one was looking. You could cut an impressive figure by being quiet, reserved, and dignified. Abraham Lincoln was revered as a man who did not 'offend by superiority,' as Emerson put it."
Christina Aguilera
The pop star and reality TV mentor might seem like the picture of an extrovert on stage, but in real life she identifies as the opposite.
Eleanor Roosevelt
As the longest-serving First Lady in history, Eleanor Roosevelt is known for her very public persona, entertaining, holding press conferences, giving lectures and even serving as American spokesman in the United Nations after her husband's death -- but she was also thought to be an introvert.
Courteney Cox
The former Friend cited personality differences as one of the reasons for her split with David Arquette. "I'm a homebody. I like to have people over, but I'm a little socially not -- I don't love it," she told Howard Stern in a 2011 radio interview, People reported.
Albert Einstein
The world-renowned physicist who developed the theory of relativity was often thought to be an introvert. Like many introverts, he did his best thinking alone: "The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind," he's widely quoted as saying.
Emma Watson
The Perks Of Being A Wallflower star has said she credits her introverted personality for her reputation as a non-party girl.
Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi's work is proof positive that you don't have to be an extrovert to be an effective leader. He once said, "In a gentle way, you can shake the world."
Laura Bush
The former Fist Lady and wife to President George W. Bush is a self-described introvert. "George and I are complete opposites," she said at the 2005 White House Correspondents' dinner. "I'm quiet, he's talkative. I'm introverted, he's extroverted. I can pronounce nuclear..."
Rosa Parks
The Civil Rights legend who refused to give up her bus seat for a white man in 1955 was also considered an introvert.
Audrey Hepburn
Despite her public persona, the British actress identified as an introvert. She's often quoted as saying: "I'm an introvert ... I love being by myself, love being outdoors, love taking a long walk with my dogs and looking at the trees, flowers, the sky."
Warren Buffett
Cain's book has a chapter titled, "Why Did Wall Street Crash And Warren Buffet Prosper?" using an explanation of introversion and extroversion personality characteristics to help answer that question. She wrote:
Warren Buffet, the legendary investor and one of the wealthiest men in the world, has used exactly the attributes we've explored in this chapter -- intellectual persistence, prudent thinking, and the ability to see and act on warning signs -- to make billions of dollars for himself and the shareholders in his company, Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett is known for thinking carefully when those around him lose their heads. 'Success in investing doesn't correlate with IQ,' he has said. 'Once you have ordinary intelligence, what you need is the temperament to control the urges that get other people into trouble in investing.'Roy Rogers
The singer and actor earned the nickname "King of the Cowboys" for his roles in many musical westerns. "I'm an introvert at heart," he once said, according to CNN. "And show business -- even though I've loved it so much -- has always been hard for me."
Candice Bergen
The Murphy Brown star shared at The Huffington Post's Third Metric conference in June that she and her husband are on opposite ends of the scale: "I’m an introvert and my husband is like the mayor," she said.
George Stephanopoulos
"Despite my job chatting people up, I'm an introvert," the TV journalist told Good Housekeeping in 2012.
More:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/13/famous-introverts_n_3733400.html
