#3 Introversion from a scientific perspective
In this second episode of the introduction series I’ll dive into introversion from a scientific perspective. 1. NeurostransmittersNeurotransmitters are the body’s chemical messengers used by the nervous system to transfer messages. There are numerous neurotransmitters but the two we are going to cover are dopamine and acetylcholine. Dopamine gives instant and intense hits that make us feel good. Both when we anticipate a reward and when we get the actual reward. Acetylcholine, also affects the reward system but effects are a lot more subtle. When acetylcholine is released, the rewarding feeling comes in the form of feeling relaxed, at ease, and content. One way of explaining the difference between introverts and extroverts is that extroverts are less sensitive to dopamine so they simply need more of it to feel good. As a result they more actively seek out situations where more dopamine is produced so they feel rewarded. People who are more introverted, are more sensitive to dopamine and therefore feel rewarded more quickly. So their drive to seek out rewarding situations is a lot less. - Dopamine gives instant and intense rewarding hits- Acetylcholine gives more slow and subtle rewarding hits- Extroverts are less sensitive to dopamine and are not very receptive to acetylcholine- Introverts are more sensitive to dopamine and acetylcholine is often enough to make them feel rewarded 2. Nervous systemThe nervous system can be divided into two parts, the sympathetic nervous system, which is known as the fight, freeze, flight system, and the parasympathetic nervous system known as the rest and digest system. People who are more introverted prefer to have their parasympathetic nervous system to be active most of the time whereas people who are more extroverted prefer to have their sympathetic nervous system active a lot more than introverts do. 3. Blood flow through the brainWhen the sympathetic nervous system is active, blood flows along a shorter path through the brain compared to when the parasympathetic system is active and it also goes through very different parts of the brain. SummaryPeople who are more extroverted more often have an active sympathetic nervous system known as the fight, freeze, flight system, which is driven by the neurotransmitter dopamine which provides strong instant hits of gratification. People who are more extroverted are also less sensitive to dopamine and, because they more often have an active sympathetic nervous system, the blood flow through their brain follows a shorter pathway. Extroverted - sympathetic nervous system - dopamine - shorter blood flow pathway through the brain.People who are more introverted more often have an active parasympathetic nervous system known as the rest and digest system, which is driven by the neurotransmitter acetylcholine which provides more subtle hits of gratification. People who are more introverted are more sensitive to dopamine and, because they more often have an active parasympathetic nervous system, the blood flow through the brain follows a longer pathway. Introverted - parasympathetic nervous system - acetylcholine - longer blood flow pathway through the brainIntroversion and extroversion are not black and white, you are not introverted or extroverted but a combination of both. Introversion and extroversion comes down to what we prefer and how we behave and we all have both introverted and extroverted tendencies. Timestamp1:00 Neurotransmitters 6:02 The nervous system7:53 Blood flow through the brainSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/inthrivert) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.