Fu (2013) found that the neurotransmitter dopamine (a chemical that turns on the reward and
pleasure-seeking part of the brain) reacts differently in introvert’s and extrovert’s brains. In
extroverts, they found a stronger dopamine response to rewards, so they experience more
frequent activation of strong positive emotions.
Kehoe, Toomey, Balsters and Bokde (2012) used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
to investigate cortical arousal in introverts and extroverts.
They found that introverts tended to become stimulated very easily, whereas extroverts had
lower levels of cortical arousal.
This can explain why extroverts may need to have more external stimulation as they can
become easily bored. Gale et al, (2001) asked their participants to emphasize with positive and
negative facial expressions and measured their responses using an electroencephalogram (EEG).
They also found a higher frequency of cortical arousal in introverts than extroverts. This
evidence supports Eysenck’s theory that extroverts, and introverts have varying levels of cortical
arousal.
Another study which used fMRI on participants completing cognitive tasks has shown that
extroversion is associated with activations in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, middle temporal
gyrus, and the amygdala – areas associated with memory, attention, and emotional response
(Lei, Yang & Wu, 2015).
Hans Eysenck
Hans Eysenck (1947; 1966; 1967) constructed a theory of personality which has a biological
basis. He believed that personality was the result of biological differences in individuals’ nervous
systems which ultimately affect their ability to learn and adapt to the environment.
Eysenck proposed that personality could be represented by three dimensions:
Introversion/Extroversion (E)
Neuroticism/Stability (N)
Psychoticism/Normality (P)
Eysenck asserted that each personality trait can be traced back to a different biological cause,
particularly that personality is dependent on a balance between excitation and inhibition of
the autonomic nervous system.
Eysenck (1967) also claimed that differences in behavioral extroversion and introversion are the
result of differences in the brain.
He explained that extroverts tend to seek excitement and social activity to raise their naturally
low cortical arousal levels, whereas introverts tend to avoid social situations to minimize their
already high cortical arousal levels.
Extroversion and ER
[Link]
selfcontrol-and-managing-emotions-among-undergraduate-and-postgraduate-students
The findings revealed that individuals with lower levels of extraversion exhibited significantly
lower levels of self-control and emotion management, whereas those with higher extraversion
demonstrated stronger emotional regulation abilities. This study supports the findings of Taneja
et al. (2020), who reported a strong positive relationship between extraversion and EI among
medical students. These results suggest that the development of emotional control is influenced
by personality traits and that social conditioning during formative years plays a critical role in
cultivating self-regulatory skills.
[Link]
It has been established that individuals with strongly expressed attributes of introversion are
less capable to understand and control emotions of other people, i.e. it is presumptive that
their overall EI level is lower. And conversely, higher EI while understanding other people and
being able to influence their behavior is demonstrated by extroverted individuals. Conclusion. It
is plausible that better abilities of extroverts may be explained by the fact that information of
emotional type stimulates them while abundant emotional information has an opposite
effect on introverts – it disorganizes thinking, unbalances decisions, etc. The obtained data
may be useful in making psychological intervention more efficient.