I know my lack of extreme excitement can be off-putting

Amen. I'm exactly the same way. There should be a support group.<p>Worse than being merely off-putting, I think it actively hurts, personally and professionally, when your don't get as excited over every little thing as your peers. People take it as a sign of indifference, and judge you for not being a "team player" or other such nonsense.<p>I long ago learned that it's always best to keep your mouth shut rather than saying negative things in public (though it can certainly be a lot less fun). But the little trap that no one warns you about is that it's possible to be perceived as negative simply by being less enthusiastic than baseline. And it drives me <i>nuts</i> when people put me into positions where my only option is to feign enthusiasm, or to say something negative:<p>Rude Person: <i>"isn't Yanni just the most brilliant musician ever? And how about that Kenny G -- jazz will never be the same, right?"</i><p>Me: <i>"um. indeed."</i><p>This kind of stuff happens all the time, and it never gets any easier to navigate.

I've never been impressed by any of the startups that are released in the last few years (YC or other wise). Including my own products. I find them run of the mill, meh kind.<p>The last product that I thought was cool, was Dropbox and that was a few years ago.<p>I was doing this judgment thing while I am trying to promote my own products. And I realize how hard it is, how difficult it is to find anyone to give a shit.<p>I now applaud anyone who gets a semblance of recognition or notoriety. Gimmicks or otherwise. I know how hard it is to pull those off. May be some are lucky and are born to attract the world towards them. But most are not.<p>There must have been an incredible amount of sacrifice, self doubt and disappointment that I do not know about.<p>I now celebrate every one's victories, no matter how small they are. I know how hard they are to come by.

Gabriel Weinberg is amazing at blogging! He revolutionised the anti-extreme excitement movement!<p>Seriously though, it is a good idea not to get swept up in the waves of hysterical enthusiasm that can follow some personalities and companies.<p>As the post states, apathy isn't the answer. I think a bit of healthy skepticism is all that's needed to be able to see past most PR/fanboy noise.

In my experience, the difference in <i>default level of communicated excitement</i> between UK and US teams can lead to friction because to the Americans it seems like the Brits are being surly at all times.

I'm the same way - I can't remember the last time I became so excited about something that I became visibly animated.<p>Like Gabriel says, that doesn't mean I'm not passionate, but others may interpret it as such, or think that I don't care at all about anything.<p>When something happens and I feel like there's a risk of someone misinterpreting my lack of visible reaction as something it isn't... I give a visible reaction.<p>That is, if something legitimately good and exciting happens, and I'm the only one in the room not celebrating, I'll force a smile/laugh/shout if there's someone present who doesn't know me well enough to understand my stoicism.<p>I don't feel like a fraud or phony for doing this; doing it is like accommodating a guest. If I raise my voice when talking to someone who has hearing loss, I'm not faker, even though I don't normally talk that way. If I use simple English to talk to someone who primarily speaks Spanish, I'm not being duplicitous.<p>It's not a disavowal of my personality or "wiring" to do this; it's a recognition that not everyone is so familiar with me to understand my particular emotional set point.

What I hate is when someone gets uber-excited about x and I don't, they then get offended because they think I don't like it all that much or that I don't like them. Yet if I say something critical (constructive or not) about x, they also get offended, even if they have nothing to do with it. I guess there's no 'right' thing to say.

I know some people that have the excitement-meter ratcheted up to 11. I don't put any faith into what they have to say, because the hyperbole makes it so hard to separate the wheat from the chaff.<p>I have noticed a similar trend in the last few years of startups - the field's just so crowded, everybody's trying their hardest to get noticed, so what better way to attract attention than to bludgeon the word "awesome" into a bloody pulp?

I've often regarded this as one of the main cultural differences between Americans and Britons (with Gabriel being more like a Brit in this particular generali[z|s]ation).<p>And my conclusion is that this phenomenon cuts both ways. There are benefits and downsides to being highly enthusiastic or being reserved and I'm glad that there are different kinds of people on this planet. Kumbaya.

That's what the aikido principle, Living Calmness or Seishi, is, IMO. Just because i'm not expressing my enthusiasm, doesnt mean i don't think its cool, I'm just Calm.<p><a href="http://www.aikiweb.com/spiritual/reed1.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.aikiweb.com/spiritual/reed1.html</a>

Somebody wrote that the English "His work is quite sound, actually" may be equivalent to or exceed the American "His work sets the standard we all aspire to." The fellow writing was a dean at Virginia Tech; I remember the name of the book as _To Rise Above Principle_.

This was a very fascinating read. As I was reading it, I kept thinking "I didn't write this, did I?" I've honestly ne er read or heard someone as accurately describe the way I feel about getting excited about stuff. My friends tell me I'm weird for not getting more excited - one swears I'm an android. Truth is though, I feel it's a strengh of character that we can control our excitement. It allows us to stay rational in situations that others find impossible.

i think the problem is people find it hard to adjust to other people's different excitement baselines. if you are less excitable or more excitable it shouldn't really matter because people should be able to adjust in the long term to take more notice or less notice. i'd be more suspicious of people who have high excitement baselines because it seems like it might be more beneficial to have high excitement than low excitement.

Something I have learned is that at least some varieties of "extreme excitement" are a sign of character flaws, an indication that someone's trying to sell something not worth buying. That said, a morose lack of any excitement is also a negative sign. Best to be in the middle, a bit subtle but with a keen eye for quality and an affectionate (but not infatuated) respect for excellence combined with a reasoned aversion to idiocy and disease.<p>Also, something one learns over time is that the startup/technology world also has its in-crowds and celebrity bullshit just like any other social ecosystem. Yes, we have people getting million-dollar checks who don't deserve them; it happens. The celebrity nonsense is generated by, and it benefits, people of low character who really don't belong in our world, people who care more about exclusive parties and velvet ropes than about buckling down and getting shit done and building something great. The good news is that in 15 years, each and every one of them will be a bitter, morose has-been. (I made the mistake of working for a late-'90s dot-com celebrity, someone who spent more money than most people make in 20 years on a fucking launch party before crashing and burning a year later. Details withheld since this is my real name.)

Well then I do have one advise. Do get excited. And next time it happens, scream a little. Laugh out loud. Hug the person next to you. "There is no growth in comfort".