# On introverts being "drained" from social interaction



## cavarice (Jan 30, 2010)

I know anecdotally and as a hardcore introvert myself that social interaction is very taxing to me, even when I am fully reveling in and enjoying it.

Yet, I find myself unsatisfied with characterization of the phenomenon; it seems so _unscientific_ - I'm more interested in biological, neurological and/or metabolic reasons why extroverts "get" their "energy" from social interaction, and introverts like myself are typically "drained" by it. I'm well aware of the way the brains of introverts vs extroverts tend to operate in fundamentally different ways, but I have not yet found anything relating this to how it translates into the subjective feelings of being "energized" and "drained"


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## Psilo (Apr 29, 2009)

There's a few correlative neurological ideas on how extraverts and introverts differ. I've heard introverts have higher activity in the prefrontal cortex, and extraverts have higher activity in the amygdala. A quick google search for these terms will get you a few studies if you are interested.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Proteus (Mar 5, 2010)

I definitely think there is something physiological as well as psychological to this feeling. Much like Cavarice I've found myself in social situations that I have been enjoying a great deal but at the same time yearned for them to be over so I could find some solace in alone time. It's really made me question why I sought out such interactions in the first place and if I'm truly getting as much out of them as I might initially have thought.

Coincidentally I read this article just a little while ago that deals with just this topic - 

Researchers Find Differences In How The Brains Of Some Individuals Process The World Around Them

Here are two more articles that are tangentially related-

Research Links Brain Chemistry with Aggressive Personality

Are the monoamines involved in shaping conduct disorders?


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## Just_Some_Guy (Oct 8, 2009)

First of all, if you want to understand "energy", I would look at both how Jung treats the topic and how Neo-Confucianists like Wang Yang-YMng treat the topic. You will find something quite divorced from the scientific use of the term.

Next, Jung writes about this scenario about an I and an E out on an adventure. They come across an old castle. The E says, "Hell yeah, a castle!" and wants to charge in to investigate. The I is very reserved about this and reluctantly complies. Once inside, they look around. There they discover something very fascinating. The I becomes obsessed with this, what is found on the inside, while the E now becomes bored and wants to move on to whatever castles lay down the road. They part ways here as the I found something fascinating that he/she could, quite literally, spend the rest of their life studying, while the E is more interested in staying outside and moving on. 

Maybe I butchered J's intentions there, but that's one way to look at it. The I gets tired doing E things, but finds endless strength doing I things while the E can do E things indefinitely while they get tired doing I things.


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## TaylorS (Jan 24, 2010)

It is thought that it has to do with a brain stem structure called the Reticular Activating System, or RAS. The RAS is a network of neuron clusters scattered throughout the brain stem and is an important regulator of awareness and of sensory information traveling up from the brain stem into the cerebrum. It is thought that people with an overactive RAS tend to come to crave stimulation, AKA be Extroverts, while Introverts have the opposite, and underactive RAS, and thus withdraw from too much stimulation.


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## zynthaxx (Aug 12, 2009)

TaylorS said:


> It is thought that it has to do with a brain stem structure called the Reticular Activating System, or RAS. The RAS is a network of neuron clusters scattered throughout the brain stem and is an important regulator of awareness and of sensory information traveling up from the brain stem into the cerebrum. It is thought that people with an overactive RAS tend to come to crave stimulation, AKA be Extroverts, while Introverts have the opposite, and underactive RAS, and thus withdraw from too much stimulation.


The problem with this theory, is that it doesn't make sense. :tongue:
I am pretty introverted, and often feel drained from social gatherings - having guests or meeting socially for a whole weekend makes me _really_ cranky. But what I do when I get my alone-time, is to overstimulate my brain, by sitting at my computers (two at a time), and simultaneously playing a (single player) game and surfing the web, writing a book, translating a manual - or by taking my motorcycle for a ride, and just pour sensory input into my brain. That kind of activity invigorates me.


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## SeekJess (Nov 1, 2009)

I like hanging out with people but I couldn't do it everyday. It takes everything out of me. Especially working in retail for 8 hours. Too much


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