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The objective of this blog post is to delve into the fascinating minds of extroverts and introverts from a neuroscience perspective and draw conclusions about which personality type is better.
A person tends to exhibit certain behaviours, such as choosing task A over B, preferring certain foods, or aligning with a particular political ideology, due to their brain’s influence. It is very fascinating to know that there instincts or actions are derived from basic mental models created from birth (genetics) and other neural networks developed throughout their lifetime.
Image Credits: Javier Allegue Barros
There is this common notion where people naturally tend to labels others and themselves as extroverts or introvert, purely based on some of their social interactions or certain personality traits. But the question is are they 100% right?
The answer is a NO, there are no individuals who are purely introverted or purely extroverted. There are always nuances and different shades in human personality. Most people generally fall under the category of ambiverts, which is a balance between introversion and extroversion.
Being an absolutely introverted person is a very rare case, it means that there is no social interaction and lots of isolation in that person’s life, but long-term social isolation can lead to changes in amygdala firing, and the pre-frontal cortex (PFC) doesn’t respond as effectively.
A Neuroscience Perspective
To give a context on amygdala, it is a part of our brain, that regulates emotions, such as fear and aggression.
It is involved in tying emotional meaning to our memories and Reward processing and decision making.
Amygdala plays an important role in converting emotions into cognitive process such as memory formation, attention and social behaviour.
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The PFC(pre -frontal cortex) is the most advanced part of the brain, it is mainly responsible for cognition, and many other survival instincts. This area of the brain has been associated with executive functions, including tasks like strategic planning, decision-making, maintaining information temporarily, expressing one’s personality, regulating social interactions, and managing specific elements of speech and language.
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Now let’s try to understand that why long-term social isolation can lead to changes in amygdala firing, and the PFC doesn’t respond as effectively.
Loneliness or Long term isolation doesn’t truly originate from fear of social interactions or the lack of opportunity to meet people, it’s mostly high activity in certain neural circuits in our brain that forms links to people or social cues that pictures them as judgmental, unreliable or unfriendly. Researchers have found that this loneliness can lead to decrease in the volume of PFC.
Another core reason that is often been underestimated is that, lonely people have biased thinking. From behavioural studies it has been found that lonely people tend to pick up negative social cues than normal people faster than half the time required to blink.
Introverts who are lonely live in this imaginary rich social life, from which the reality is far from and when they interact with the real world, so they get disappointed and caught in the vicious cycle of becoming lonelier.
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Research on primates and the findings from the Neumayer III polar station experiment indicate that an individual’s brain structure can be significantly shaped by their experiences and social surroundings, thereby solidifying alterations resulting from loneliness. Conversely, twin studies have demonstrated that there is a genetic component contributing to loneliness.
To boil it down, whether a person is extroverted or introverted depends on genetics, as well as the experiences and situations they have encountered till now.
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Going deeper, neurotransmitters in our brains also play a significant role in our behavior. While all humans have the same set of neurotransmitters and brain components, the factor that distinguishes introverts from extroverts lies in the effects of these neurotransmitters on specific brain regions.
For example, dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for motivation, craving, and the desire to pursue rewards, has been found to have different effects on introverts compared to extroverts. Introverts are generally less sensitive to dopamine drive, and this sensitivity is determined by our DNA.
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German psychologist Hans Eysenck’s exploration of introverts and extroverts delves into their responsiveness to environmental stimuli. Eysenck’s research highlights that extroverts tend to exhibit comparatively lower performance in situations with reduced environmental stimulus.
Eysenck’s theory proposes that the degree of responsiveness is a product of environmental signals and the company a person keeps, all of which are governed by the cortical arousal system. In the realm of psychology, arousal refers to the condition of being physiologically responsive, conscious, and vigilant.
The cortical arousal system, a crucial region of our brain, plays a pivotal role in heightening alertness, vigilance, muscle tension, heart rate, and minute ventilation.
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For extroverts, social isolation can pose substantial challenges, potentially leading to feelings of despondency. In contrast, introverts tend to embrace solitude and often navigate it with more ease. This dichotomy in response to social interaction can be attributed to the interplay of environmental stimuli and the cortical arousal system.
Social isolation poses significant challenges for extroverts, potentially leading to feelings of depression. On the other hand, introverts tend to embrace social isolation and can navigate this situation with relative ease.Ultimately, the value of introversion or extroversion depends on the context and individual preferences.
But choosing loneliness is not a good decision, as it not only deprives your social life and mental health, it can also have serious effects on physical health as well, ranging from high blood pressure, stroke and heart complaints to type 2 diabetes.
In conclusion, neither introverts nor extroverts are inherently better than the other. Both personality types have their own strengths and weaknesses. Introverts thrive in solitude and have a greater sensitivity to dopamine, while extroverts are energised by social interactions and have a lower response threshold in certain environments.
That’s a wrap, you’ve successfully completed reading the entire post. Now, it is incumbent upon you to exercise your own discernment and determine which decisions and actions will steer you towards a fulfilling life.
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References: https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-loneliness-reshapes-the-brain-20230228/
