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shmali

Introverted vs Extroverted Brain Activity

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An interesting read on the brain activity between the two
http://tinyurl.com/bgqsk

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Taken from yahoo news
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By Janie Magruder, Gannett News Service Mon Nov 28, 7:36 AM ET

The attitude that there's something wrong with introverted people is widely shared in society, where fast talk and snap decisions are often valued over listening, deliberation and careful planning. Extroverts seem to rule the world or, at least, the USA, which hasn't elected an introverted president for three decades, since Jimmy Carter.

"The signals we get from the world agree that extroversion is valued," says Sanford Cohn, an associate professor in curriculum and instruction at Arizona State University. "A lot of the messages we get from society have to do with being social, and in order to be social you have to behave a certain way."

But that is impossible for introverted kids. Raising them isn't easy, particularly if parents, family members, teachers, coaches and other adults don't allow them to be who they are.

Introverted children enjoy the internal world of thoughts, feelings and fantasies, and there's a physiological reason for this. Researchers using brain scans have found introverts have more brain activity in general, and specifically in the frontal lobes. When these areas are activated, introverts are energized by retrieving long-term memories, problem solving, introspection, complex thinking and planning.

Extroverts enjoy the external world of things, people and activities. They have more activity in brain areas involved in processing the sensory information we're bombarded with daily. Because extroverts have less internally generated brain activity, they search for more external stimuli to energize them.

"It's the different pathways that are turned on that activate the behaviors and abilities we see in introverts and extroverts," says Marti Olsen Laney, a neuroscience researcher and author in Portland, Ore., who is credited with connecting introversion with its underlying biology. "It impacts all areas of their lives: how they process information, how they restore their energy, what they enjoy and how they communicate."

Introverted children need time alone more than do extroverted children, says Laney, whose book, The Hidden Gifts of the Introverted Child, is due in January. "Extroverts gain energy by being out and about," but "being with people takes energy from introverts, and they need to get away to restore that energy."

Laney says introverted kids also behave differently.

They're not slow, inattentive or shy. Shyness is behavior that may diminish as children grow; introversion is a character trait that lasts.


Pineappe Death Juice, If you have to ask you'd rather not know!

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I wish you had posted this in conjunction with a poll. I'd like to see if there are more introverted or extroverted skydivers.

I'm also interested in how many introverts find it possible to be extroverted online.

rl
If you don't know where you're going, you should know where you came from. Gullah Proverb

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"Extroverts gain energy by being out and about," but "being with people takes energy from introverts, and they need to get away to restore that energy."



I strongly agree with this sentence and completely relate to the part that I made bold.

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I wish you had posted this in conjunction with a poll. I'd like to see if there are more introverted or extroverted skydivers.

I'm also interested in how many introverts find it possible to be extroverted online.

rl



On DZ.com and even at the DZ, due to the nature of the built-in socializing of this sport and this online medium, I and many others, have been able to come across as much more extroverted than we are. This may be because posting captures the uniqueness of being able to take some of our thoughts and share them with the world in a way, that some of us wouldn't have otherwise done. It may be because it can be a struggle for us to be extroverted in real life, that we may tend to be more bold online.

Personally, I am by nature a true introvert, as my good friends all know. I adore being alone to either read or to spend time getting lost within my mind/thoughts/ideas and various concepts. I have always found it extremely difficult to be in a party-like or group setting and break into a panic at the thought of being in the spotlight. Still, if it actually happens, it's not so bad at all, especially if I am around people with whom I feel at ease.

For instance, every so often when my DZ.commer friends, like Nicky, Gia and I go to the Bombshelter, I have to literally completely force myself to leave my home and go there. It's a constant struggle for me to think about interacting socially with others, and perhaps, it is why I am realizing that I am sometimes quite attracted (not romantically, but in an admiring way) to extroverts.

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I'd also be interested in seeing a study on how many introverted children remain that way well into adulthood. There is more than a little truth to the comment regarding societal perceptions about introverts versus extroverts. How many inteoverted kids grow up thinking it was an aberration to be the way they were?
Kevin - Sonic Beef #5 - OrFun #28
"I never take myself too seriously, 'cuz everybody know fat birds don't fly." - FLC
Online communities: proof that people never mature much past high school.

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how many introverted children remain that way well into adulthood.



Not the question you were asking (sorry), but I believe that introversion and extroversion are hardwired and that there are studies to verify this. If a child starts out introverted, he will remain essentially that way all his life.

Some of us do break out situationally, but the general personality type doesn't change.

rl

Edited to add:

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How many inteoverted kids grow up thinking it was an aberration to be the way they were?



"Thinking"?

There was never any doubt--ask anyone who knows me. You can find my picture next to the word "aberration" in the dictionary.
If you don't know where you're going, you should know where you came from. Gullah Proverb

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how many introverted children remain that way well into adulthood.



Not the question you were looking at (sorry), but I believe that introversion and extroversion are hardwired and that there are studies to verify this. If a child starts out introverted, he will remain essentially that way all his life.

Some of us do break out situationally, but the general personality type doesn't change.



By and large, I'd consider myself an extrovert. I'm pretty boisterous around most groups of people I know, be they co-workers, a softball team, or skydivers. But I also like going to a bar by myself, having a beer or two without anyone talking to me, and I get irritated when friends try to accompany me too often. Same with snowboarding. Friends can be fun, but I frequently want to by alone with nature and my thoughts, even if that "aloneness" includes thousands of strangers on the slopes. So what is that second type of activity, wanting to be alone in a crowd...introverted or extroverted?

Blues,
Dave
"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

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What makes the best lovers, introverts or extroverts?



IMO, male introverts are far better lovers than extroverts. Far better.

There are some exceptions, but they are few and far between.

rl
If you don't know where you're going, you should know where you came from. Gullah Proverb

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