14 DAY TRIAL // A new scientific study has arrived at an interesting conclusion after analyzing the brains of introvert and shy individuals, and comparing them with the brains of their more extroverted peers. The research revealed that the former group might be processing the world around them differently than the latter. The investigation is very important from a medical perspective, given that an estimated 20 percent of the general population is born with a personality trait known as sensory perception sensitivity (SPS).
This means that the individuals having it are more likely than their peers to exhibit behaviors including shyness, introversion, and, in the most severe cases, neuroticism. According to the team behind the new paper, the trait is most easily distinguishable in children who take a longer time than usual to join a group of peers. The same kids may exhibit other telltale signs of being born with SPS, such as needing little punishment, asking very unusual questions, or having thoughts that are generally deemed as being too profound and deep for their age.
The new survey determined that these individuals also tend to exhibit a much higher level of attention to details when observing the world around them. Using advanced brain scan technologies, the investigators determined that their brain tends to activate differently than in people without SPS, especially when it comes to the way they process visual information. The work was led by American researchers at the Stony Brook University, in New York, and Chinese investigators from the Southwest University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, LiveScience reports.
The group hypothesized that simple SPS, such as the one people develop for noises, sounds, pain, or even caffeine, may be an extension (or a side-effect) of an innate preference of paying more attention to details than their peers. The general trait they are born with seems to confer people with SPS a larger degree of sensitivity all around. They are unnerved by crowds and bothered by noises, and are also more likely to get startled in an unusual situation. Additionally, the study also found that these individuals need more time for themselves, in order to reflect, and that they tend to get bored a lot easier than their peers who are not classified as having SPS.