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Introverted Pleasures

FFF

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Sorry if the title is a bit deceptive, but a while back I remember reading somewhere about different pleasure pathways in the brain. One of them is quick and more intense and is involved with pleasures like food and sex. The other one goes through a longer section of brain and takes longer to activate. I'm not sure exactly what activates it. I do remember reading that introverts are more likely to use the long pathway than extroverts (although I think both probably use the short one the most).

Does anybody know what I'm talking about and where this information might be?
 

wolfy

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I remember that too. I can't remember where exactly. It had something to do with the cerebral cortex.
I did a search for "introverted pleasure cerebral cortex" and found this.

Here it is! Hans Eysenck Google Books. He is talking about Introversion Extraversion and cortical arousal.

Is that it?
 

ajblaise

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I know we tend to have higher activity in the frontal lope, which is associated with dopamine and our pleasure centers.

...awesome.
 

ajblaise

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like cocaine and meth much?

or just ritalin.

I don't really like the speedy drugs. Adderall was good when I was in college for studying but that's about it.

Maybe stimulants are more often taken by those dopamine-deficient extroverts. Every coke/meth head I know is a raving extrovert now that I think about it.
 

Simplexity

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Yeah, i'm on ADD medication and it just makes me more zoned in. to the point where moving around a lot is the last thing on my mind.
 

ajblaise

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Yeah, i'm on ADD medication and it just makes me more zoned in. to the point where moving around a lot is the last thing on my mind.

Yup, I would take adderall or No Doz and go to the library and study real well for an hour or so then pass out in the little desk cubicle a lot of the time.. can make me ridiculously sleepy.
 

FFF

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Drug abuse and other addictions is most strongly tied to the Big Five characteristic of Conscientiousness which most closely resembles J/P in MBTI terms. People low in C (P types) are most susceptible to it.

Cortical arousal wasn't quite what I was thinking of. Maybe I should step down from my donkey (get off my ass) and look.

I have dismounted my donkey and found this.

"This book answers my question. No you can not change your temperament no matter how hard you try. You are born an introvert or an extrovert and that is how your brain is wired. I find it interesting that introverts take a longer more complex brain pathway with acetylcoline where as extroverts use the simpler dopamine adrenaline pathway. Too much external imput overstimulates us and that is why we like to be alone to recharge. Acetylcoline tones us down. That's our energy reward. The dopamine adrenaline pathway rewards and craves external stimulation so extroverts recharge in active places or with lots of people."

This comes from a blog that can be found HERE.
 
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Bella

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'dismounted my donkey' LOL! That's funny.
 

FFF

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The book in question is called the Introvert Advantage.
 

Bella

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I know we tend to have higher activity in the frontal lope, which is associated with dopamine and our pleasure centers.

...awesome.

So then, why are we more depressed than Extroverts?
 

FFF

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So then, why are we more depressed than Extroverts?

I've been studying the big five a lot lately. Actually, the trait of extroversion (low extroversion is introversion) includes your capacity to experience highs and positive emotions and does not include negative emotions. Negatives are associated with the trait of neuroticism, and before it seemed like the T/F dimension best lined up with neuroticism. I'm not so sure now. I was gonna make a whole post about this, but now you're drawing it out of me early. I've gotta go to bed, though.
 

Salomé

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I've been studying the big five a lot lately. Actually, the trait of extroversion (low extroversion is introversion) includes your capacity to experience highs and positive emotions and does not include negative emotions. Negatives are associated with the trait of neuroticism, and before it seemed like the T/F dimension best lined up with neuroticism. I'm not so sure now. I was gonna make a whole post about this, but now you're drawing it out of me early. I've gotta go to bed, though.

Neuroticism is related to being highly sensitive which is related to introversion + negative early experiences. I am going to write about this later. Look forward to it!

Depression is not directly related to introversion but introverts are susceptible to depression because a) Our unique specialness is not valued as it ought to be in society at large b) We get burnt out by prolonged overarousal (and it doesn't take much to overarouse us) c) lots of other reasons.
 

FFF

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Neuroticism is related to being highly sensitive which is related to introversion + negative early experiences. I am going to write about this later. Look forward to it!

Depression is not directly related to introversion but introverts are susceptible to depression because a) Our unique specialness is not valued as it ought to be in society at large b) We get burnt out by prolonged overarousal (and it doesn't take much to overarouse us) c) lots of other reasons.

Neuroticism is actually the trait that holds the anxiety and fear that's responsible for shyness. This shyness may artificially inflate introversion, but it is not true introversion. As far as the degree that life experiences contribute to neuroticism, I don't know, but I'm quite certain that genetics definitely makes a sizable contribution.

Introversion = I just don't wanna be around people right now :steam:

Shyness = I wanna be around people (or certain people) but I'm afraid :unsure:
 

Salomé

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Neuroticism is actually the trait that holds the anxiety and fear that's responsible for shyness. This shyness may artificially inflate introversion, but it is not true introversion. As far as the degree that life experiences contribute to neuroticism, I don't know, but I'm quite certain that genetics definitely makes a sizable contribution.

Introversion = I just don't wanna be around people right now :steam:

Shyness = I wanna be around people (or certain people) but I'm afraid :unsure:

Shyness = fear, yes
Neuroticism = fear, yes

Neuroticism = Shyness, no

Plenty of in-yer-face neurotics out there.
 

FFF

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You can be high in neuroticism without shyness.
 
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