PREVIOUS: – Introversion Intro #1

SITEs: ◆ Seeking Pleasure & Avoiding Pain
◆ Sensitivity to Reward and Punishment

❇️ INTROVERTS (Is):
• Are deliberate, independent, & tend to keep emotions private
• Are seen as reserved but ‘centered’, which seems to have a calming effect on those around them (even if they’re boiling inside)

• Focus on inner mental activity. Tend to be self-aware, interested in self-knowledge & self-understanding
• Enjoy understanding details, learn well through observation

• Can spend too much time reflecting, & not taking enough action, or not acting quickly enough when needed
•  They sometimes forget to check with the outside world to see if their ideas really fit their internal experience or with reality (more on Es vs Is chart)

❇️  REWARD vs PUNISHMENT
The 2 halves of the brain control opposite physical & psychological functions.
😀 The LEFT frontal hemisphere is more active when we experience pleasant emotions (reward approach = BAS)
☹️ The RIGHT frontal is more activated by unpleasant emotions (punishment, withdrawal = BIS).
Also, anticipation of both reward & punishment is associated with the orbito-frontal cortex (BAS and BIS).

BAS: The Behavioral Activation System is a positive feedback device, based in the interactions between a dorsal & a ventral brain subsystem (see E & I brains #2).
The BAS response signals the end of punishment, & helps us recognize external PPT as potentially rewarding, which triggers a desire to move toward them.
A person with a very reactive BAS is especially sensitive to reward incentives (sex, money, prizes….), & their ability to stop their behavior decreases as they approach a desired  goal – making them progressively more impulsive.

Note: People with strong urges & desires (high BAS activity) are usually Es, while  with weaker urges & desires (low BAS) tend to be Is.

BIS: In contrast, Introverts (Is) are strongly influenced by the brain’s Behavioral Inhibition System, making them less externally active/reactive. It’s a negative feedback device (inhibiting, to stop behavior) generated by brain structures that are part of the septo-hippocampal system,
BIS activity increases a person’s attention & sensitivity to environmental cues that indicate frustration (lack of reward), uncertainty (novelty) or punishment (various forms).

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In immediate or potentially dangerous situations, the effect of BIS activation is meant to increase anxiety, which makes us quickly limit, avoid or stop any behavior that can cause us trouble. It also helps us use & remember current events as predictors of future events that will most likely be unsafe.
How do we know Is correlate more with the BIS?
An MRI study of 30 ‘normal’ volunteers examined the possible connection between BIS reactions & the hippocampal structure. It showed that the
—  larger the hippocampus the — higher the scores were on the Sensitivity to Punishment scale, & this was found mainly on the brain’s Right side. ⬆️ (More….)

This is relevant because the longer acetylcholine pathway in the brain of Is includes the hippocampus, which is not part of the shorter Extrovert dopamine path. People with an over-worked Right fore-brain (intense BIS), are slower to act, & more susceptible to unpleasant emotions such as anxiety, fear & sadness. (see Post: “Growth for Is – #1″) (More….)

Note: When the BIS is activated too often & for too long (as in a traumatic childhood), it causes emotional & physical damage, such as depression, PTSD, exhaustion, chronic illnesses….
Interesting: Psychopaths have high BAS & low BIS quotients

• More CHARTS from “Illustrations That Are All Too Real For Is”
posted by Anna Borges on BuzzFeed (8/12/15)

QUESTIONNAIRE
NOTE – Since we are all some mixture of E & I, it’s possible to answer True to many of these Qs but actually be an E. That could be true – not only because of the mood you’re in when taking the test – but because of your age, profession, state of health…. So if you’re mainly an E – while you need regular periods of down time like Is – you’re still very comfortable mingling with lots of people, & enjoys busy, complex places.
☆ To identify as either E or I – look for your most consistent preferences over a lifetime..     Review characteristics above & Part #1
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ALSO: Extended QUESTIONNAIRE

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