Read the text:Why Introverts and Extroverts Are Different: The ScienceOne
major difference between the brains of introverts and extroverts is the way we
respond to the neurotransmitter dopamine,
a chemical released in the brain that provides the motivation to seek external
rewards like earning money, climbing the social ladder, or attracting a mate.
It’s not that introverts have less dopamine present in their brains than
extroverts do. The difference is it is more active in the brains of extroverts.
At the expectation of, say, earning a promotion at work, extroverts become more
energized and buzz with an enthusiastic rush of good feelings, while introverts
feel overstimulated.
Also, introverts prefer to use
a different neurotransmitter called acetylcholine that makes us feel good
when we turn inward. It powers our abilities to think deeply, reflect, and
focus intensely on just one thing for a long period of time. It also helps
explain why introverts like calm environments—it’s easier to turn inward when
we’re not attending to external stimulation.
Another piece of the
introvert-extrovert puzzle has to do with the parasympathetic side of the nervous
system. When engaged, our muscles relax; energy is stored; food is metabolized;
and our heart rate and blood pressure lower. Basically, our body gets ready for
hibernation and contemplation—two of the things introverts like the most.
Both introverts and extroverts
use all types of their nervous systems and neurotransmitters at different
times. But—no big shocker here—extroverts tend to favor the opposite ones,
which mobilize us to discover new things and make us active, daring, and
inquisitive. The brain becomes alert and hyper-focused on its surroundings.
Thinking is reduced, and we become prepared to make snap decisions. While
extroverts thrive on the dopamine-charged good feelings created when they
engage the sympathetic side, for introverts, it’s too much.
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