Introverts are more likely to have a dominance of their right brain, the limbic brain, the emotional and creative brain, the “being” brain.
But for introverts, the pathway may be longer, traveling through many areas of the brain, including: The right front insular, which is an area associated with empathy, self-reflection, and emotional meaning. This is also the area of the brain that notices errors.
Both introverts and extroverts use both sides of their nervous systems at different times, just like they use both neurotransmitters. But—no big shocker here—extroverts tend to favor the opposite side of the nervous system: the sympathetic side, known as the “full-throttle” or “fight, flight, or freeze” system.
If you're mostly analytical and methodical in your thinking, the theory says that you're left-brained. If you tend to be more creative or artistic, you're right-brained.
Conclusions: The findings of the study lend support to the notion that introversion is associated with increased activity in frontal lobe regions. Moreover, the study suggests that individual differences in introversion and extraversion are related to differences in a fronto-striato-thalamic circuit.
While introverts make up an estimated 25% to 40% of the population, there are still many misconceptions about this personality type. It is also important to note that being an introvert does not mean that you are socially anxious or shy.
As an adult, you now leverage your strength for processing, contemplating and thinking things over, which is a trait of highly intelligent people. In fact, more than 75 percent of people with an IQ above 160 are introverted.
What are "left-brained" people like? They are described as logical, analytical, and orderly. The theory suggests that people who are left-brain dominant do well in careers that involve linear thinking, math, and verbal information, such as an accountant, scientist, or computer programmer.
Children who have stronger left-brain functions tend to be more analytical in their thinking and typically perform well academically. They may have a great ability to memorize large amounts of data, have a large vocabulary, and are detail-oriented.
While everyone uses both sides of their brains in work (and in life), people who think of themselves as right-brained tend to be creative, emotional, and intuitive. They are more likely an imaginative and innovative thinker and are often drawn to fields where they can express themselves freely and help others.
Because they are naturally very observant and thoughtful, introverts are also excellent listeners. Great leaders don't just talk, they listen intently — to their employees, consumers, and anyone else around them. They're vocal about their ideas but are also open to feedback and change.
That means, although we can grow and change over time, we're born as either introverts or extroverts. And you can tell fairly early on—Laney says children begin to show signs of introversion or extroversion as early as four months of age.
A known benefit of caffeine is that it helps you focus your mind and block out distractions. Because introverts find the presence of other people distracting, drinking coffee can help them stay on task without paying an "attention tax" resulting from the presence of other people in close proximity.
Introverts are easily distracted by external stimuli and while they might be too nice to say anything, get very frustrated with constant interruptions when they are trying to concentrate.
Big Crowds
Swarms of strangers can be a fear for many people for various reasons, but it is particularly common for anxious introverts. Introverts gather their energy from being alone, but that doesn't mean the “all alone in a crowd of people” thing always works.
But this does not justify the pop psychology concept of “left-brained” or “right-brained.” The two hemispheres are different, yet brain imaging technologies like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) suggest that, on average, we use both sides of our brain equally. We are all “brain-ambidextrous.”
The neural system for emotions linked to approaching and engaging with the world – like happiness, pride and anger – lives in the left side of the brain, while emotions associated with avoidance – like disgust and fear – are housed in the right. But those studies were done almost exclusively on right-handed people.
Yes, it's true: New research says that introverts could have a higher IQ. Think you're a genius? Take this Mensa quiz to find out. Generally speaking, the more often people socialize with friends, the happier they feel.
This means that introverts may process more information per second than extroverts, which helps explain why introverts are prone to overthinking.
In a post on Quiet Revolution, Cain confirms what you've probably suspected all along—we act more “introverted” as we age. Psychologists call this phenomenon “intrinsic maturation,” and it means our personalities become more balanced as we get older—“a kind of fine wine that mellows with age,” writes Cain.
Even though introverted people tend to prefer time alone, they can also experience feelings of loneliness.
Extroverts may live longer than introverts – but not during a pandemic. A US study showed that extroverts had a slightly higher mortality rate than introverts during the first Covid-19 wave in the US. It remains to be seen whether this pattern continued into 2021 and 2022.