I stumbled on that as well and had to pause and reread. I wonder if it's simply a matter of the way people process information. I'd peg Atwood as more of the extroverted type, and those with that style of thinking tend to exaggerate quite a lot in ways that otherwise would be seen as very peculiar to introverts unfamiliar with other styles.

Of course, it's likely not quite that simple. There are probably more personality dimensions involved. Go peruse your local grocery store's gift card section and see how many you relate to, then consider that in order to be profitable most of those cards must relate to most people. (Those that don't are replaced by those that do.)