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Introvert and Extrovert Brains Aren’t the Same

By | Melanie Radzicki McManus | health.howstuffworks.com

Don’t call a shy person an introvert. Both extroverts and introverts can be shy. Introverts aren’t necessarily quiet and sensitive, either, nor are they people-haters.

What characterizes introverts — and how their brains function differently than those of extroverts — dominated a recent episode of the podcast Part-Time Genius, co-hosted by Will Pearson and Mangesh Hattikudur.

The pair says that one-third to one-half of all people are introverts, a term coined by famed psychiatrist Carl Jung in 1921 (along with the term “extrovert”). While introverts tend to be not as well-received in Western society, which favors extroversion, both personality types have their pros and cons. They’re merely different ways of experiencing and processing the world. In addition, “no one is really a hundred percent introverted or a hundred percent extroverted,” says Pearson. ” … We’re all really more of a mix of both personality types … most of us lean harder one way than another.”

Introverts’ brains work differently than those of extroverts. Introverts’ brains are more sensitive to dopamine, a neurotransmitter that makes us feel good when we act quickly and take risks. This means they don’t need much of it to become energized, and too much will be overstimulating; hence, introverts’ preference for being alone or with a small group of people.

In addition, introverts’ brains take in stimuli via the long acetylcholine pathway, a lengthy corridor (named after the neurotransmitter acetylcholine) that passes through different parts of the brain. The practical ramifications of such a lengthy journey mean that introverts are more likely to notice small details and errors, overthink things, and take a while to process and react to information.

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