More about Introverts

I have to get this book: The Introvert Advantage (How To Thrive in an Extrovert World), by Marti Laney, Psy.D. I just read a review by Carl King that said "It felt like someone had written an encyclopedia entry on a rare race of people to which I belong. Not only had it explained many of my eccentricities, it helped me to redefine my entire life in a new and productive context."

Most of Carl's review summarized points about the differences between extraverts (people who get their energy recharged by being around people) and introverts (people who recharge by going off by themselves). But this was new to me:

A section of Laney’s book maps out the human brain and explains how neuro-transmitters follow different dominant paths in the nervous systems of Introverts and Extroverts. If the science behind the book is correct, it turns out that Introverts are people who are over-sensitive to Dopamine, so too much external stimulation overdoses and exhausts them. Conversely, Extroverts can’t get enough Dopamine, and they require Adrenaline for their brains to create it. Extroverts also have a shorter pathway and less blood-flow to the brain. The messages of an Extrovert’s nervous system mostly bypass the Broca’s area in the frontal lobe, which is where a large portion of contemplation takes place. 


I'm fascinated by how neuroscience can explain this stuff! This part made sense to me. I do get exhausted by too much stimulation, which for me includes groups of people larger than, say, three. And I have no tolerance at all for "if it bleeds it leads" journalism, overly loud music (seriously, why must music be amplified to the point of pain? I don't get it. You can enjoy it and dance to it at much lower decibel levels!), and political arguments where everyone is just ranting and repeating their own points of view in a louder and louder voice without ever listening. I also get exhausted when someone thinks they have the right to interrupt me when I'm reading or, God forbid, just sitting there thinking, and talk at me about themselves for hours on end. So it's really nice to hear that this isn't because I'm a self-centered type who doesn't care about others, but because my brain is about to explode from too much dopamine.

It made me wonder how many people I know who suffer from anxiety are really introverts suffering from dopamine overload. We don't need tranquilizers; we need quiet. Or a walk out in nature. The Japanese have done studies that show that "forest medicine" - getting out in nature - strengthens the immune system and helps you heal.

So while I'm sure what you have to say to me is fascinating, excuse me, I'm going for a walk.