Introverts Are Awesome!

I had read this about Introverts before from somewhere in the vast ocean of the internet. So when I came across this again, I thought I will post this here as I deeply associate myself as an introvert. I found myself agreeing with all of the 9 points below. The following are some Myths and Facts about Introverts:

 

Myth #1 – Introverts don’t like to talk.

This is not true. Introverts just don’t talk unless they have something to say. They hate small talk. Get an introvert talking about something They are interested in, and they won’t shut up for days.

 

Myth #2 – Introverts are shy.

Shyness has nothing to do with being an Introvert. Introverts are not necessarily afraid of people. What they need is a reason to interact. They don’t interact for the sake of interacting. If you want to talk to an Introvert, just start talking. Don’t worry about being polite.

 

Myth #3 – Introverts are rude.

Introverts often don’t see a reason for beating around the bush with social pleasantries. They want everyone to just be real and honest. Unfortunately, this is not acceptable in most settings, so Introverts can feel a lot of pressure to fit in, which they find exhausting.

 

Myth #4 – Introverts don’t like people.

On the contrary, Introverts intensely value the few friends they have. They can count their close friends on one hand. If you are lucky enough for an introvert to consider you a friend, you probably have a loyal ally for life. Once you have earned their respect as being a person of substance, you’re in.

 

Myth #5 – Introverts don’t like to go out in public.

Nonsense. Introverts just don’t like to go out in public FOR AS LONG. They also like to avoid the complications that are involved in public activities. They take in data and experiences very quickly, and as a result, don’t need to be there for long to “get it.” They’re ready to go home, recharge, and process it all. In fact, recharging is absolutely crucial for Introverts.

 

Myth #6 – Introverts always want to be alone.

Introverts are perfectly comfortable with their own thoughts. They think a lot. They daydream. They like to have problems to work on, puzzles to solve. But they can also get incredibly lonely if they don’t have anyone to share their discoveries with. They crave an authentic and sincere connection with ONE PERSON at a time.

 

Myth #7 – Introverts are weird.

Introverts are often individualists. They don’t follow the crowd. They’d prefer to be valued for their novel ways of living. They think for themselves and because of that, they often challenge the norm. They don’t make most decisions based on what is popular or trendy.

 

Myth #8 – Introverts are aloof nerds.

Introverts are people who primarily look inward, paying close attention to their thoughts and emotions. It’s not that they are incapable of paying attention to what is going on around them; it’s just that their inner world is much more stimulating and rewarding to them.

 

Myth #9 – Introverts don’t know how to relax and have fun.

Introverts typically relax at home or in nature, not in busy public places. Introverts are not thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. If there is too much talking and noise going on, they shut down. Their brains are too sensitive to the neurotransmitter called Dopamine. Introverts and Extroverts have different dominant neuro-pathways. Just look it up.

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As per the last comment, I did a basic Google search, I came across another article that is much more technical (read neuro-biological). I must confess that I did not fully understand everything that was written but the gist of it makes sense, doesn’t it? I have shared that post below:

 “I’ve been reading an interesting book which describes the different neurochemistry of Introverts (25% of population) and Extraverts (75%), and explains many of the different traits and needs exhibited by both.

 It;’s been shown on PET scans that Is use different neural pathways to Es when engaged in almost any type of activity (including relaxation). During one study a group of identified Es and Is were asked to lie down and relax, and a PET scan was used to measure blood flow to the brain and the pathways it followed.

 The Is had *more* bloodflow to the brain during relaxation than Es, indicating more internal stimulation. Also, the Is and Es’ blood travelled along different pathways – the I pathway was found to be more complex, and flowed to areas of the brain associated with remembering, problem solving and planning.

The Es blood flowed on a more direct route to areas of the brain where sensory processing occurs. This confirmed the researchers’ suspicion that the Es in the study were focused on what was happening around them in the lab, and were engaged in sensory processing.

 The pathway used by Extraverts is activated by the chemical Dopamine. Dopamine is a powerful neurotransmitter, most closely associated with movement, attention, alert states, and learning. Too much dopamine in the brain causes hallucinations and paranoia, and too little causes depression, lethargy and misery. Having the right amount of Dopamine is critical to everyone.

 It has been found that Extraverts have a low sensitivity to Dopamine (require more to get the desired effect). They require Adrenaline, which is released from the sympathetic nervous system, and makes more Dopamine in the brain. This explains why Es need more stimulation/thrill/activity, to feel good, and why they seek variety.

 Introverts are highly sensitive to Dopamine – too much of it and they can feel overstimulated. Is rely on a different neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, on their dominant neural pathway. Acetylcholine affects attention and learning, influences the ability to sustain a calm, alert feeling and to utilise long term memory stores, and stimulates a good feeling when thinking or feeling emotion. Introverts require a lower level of Dopamine, and a good level of acetylcholine, to leave them calm and free of depression or anxiety. Too much activity/stimulation can leave Is in Dopamine “overload”, and give them a feeling of exhaustion.

 SHORTER EXTRAVERT NEURAL PATHWAY

Stimulation ascends the spinal cord and enter reticular activating system in brain stem – data enters the Hypothalamus (thirst/temperature/appetite) – this switches on the “Full Throttle” system in Extraverts – Stimulii are sent to POSTERIOR THALAMUS (a relay station which amplifies the stimuli and sends them to amygdala) – Amygdala is the emotional centre (associated with the actions in the motor area, in extraverts) – Stimuli transferred to Temporal and moror area (movement connects to short term memory access, and to the center for learning and processing sensory and emotional stimuli).

 LONGER INTROVERT NEURAL PATHWAY

Stimuli enter Reticular activating system above brain stem – this system is less active in Introverts – transferred to Hypothalmus where the data is interpreted and the brain placed on “Throttle down” in Introverts – Data sent to ANTERIOR THALAMUS (relay station which turns sensory signals down in Introverts) – Data sent to Broca’s Area (speech area where internal monologue is activated) – Data sent to Frontal lobe (thinking, planning, learning) – Data sent to Hippocampus (relayed to long term memory including environmental awareness) – Data sent to Amygdala (emotional centre where feelings are attached to thoughts, in Introverts).  ”