quiet-the-power-of-introverts-in-a-world-that-cant-stop-talking-susan-cain

This portrayal of courtship as a highstakes
performance reflected the bold
new mores of the Culture of Personality.
Under the restrictive (in some cases
repressive) social codes of the Culture
of Character, both genders displayed
some reserve when it came to the mating
dance. Women who were too loud
or made inappropriate eye contact with
strangers were considered brazen.
Upper-class women had more license to
speak than did their lower-class counterparts,
and indeed were judged partly
on their talent for witty repartee, but
even they were advised to display
blushes and downcast eyes. They were
warned by conduct manuals that “the
coldest reserve” was “more admirable
in a woman a man wishe[d] to make
his wife than the least approach to undue
familiarity.” Men could adopt a
quiet demeanor that implied self-
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