Excerpt:
Brain Differences Between Personality Types
“It turns out, personality types are associated with a number of brain features. The brains of introverts look and react differently than the brains of extroverts. The key differences:
- The prefrontal cortex. Introverts have a thicker prefrontal cortex than extroverts, which means they have more tissue in the area of the brain associated with deep thought and decision-making. “Since extroverts have thinner matter in the prefrontal cortex, they process information quickly and tend to react impulsively compared to introverts, who mull things over before deciding on a course of action,” Dr. MacLean says.
- Dopamine. Dopamine is a feel-good chemical the brain produces in response to pleasurable pursuits. While introverts and extroverts have the same amount of dopamine in their brains, extroverts have a more active dopamine reward network. So, when extroverts prepare for a party, they feel motivated, energized and excited. An introvert may feel a sense of dread — or just less enthusiasm — under the same circumstances.
- Acetylcholine. Like dopamine, acetylcholine is linked to pleasure. But unlike dopamine, acetylcholine makes a person feel good when they’re calm, quiet and introspective — and introverts tend to have more acetylcholine receptors in their brains than extroverts. In this calm environment, introverts are able to reflect and focus on the task at hand without a lot of external noise.”
Relevance:
Reference:
Henry Ford Health. (2022, September 21). Introvert or extrovert: What’s the difference? Henry Ford Health Blog. https://www.henryford.com/blog/2022/09/introvert-or-extrovert
