Why write a novel?

12 reasons why people write books:

1.) Because it’s fun

Writing can be extremely enjoyable for some people. What makes it fun?

• The joy of succeeding to paint a picture with words
• The joy of invention and creation: creating something entirely new and original from nothing but your mind.
• The joy and release of self-expression of your thoughts, dreams and beliefs.
• The joy of the freedom to write whatever you want. You can take the story anywhere you wish. There are no boundaries.
• The joy of escaping into another world, one where you can write your dreams into existence and make them come true by living vicariously through your characters. It can be a world where dreams can come true, where you can say everything you’ve never dared to say in real life, where bad guys get their just desserts, good guys usually win and there’s often a happy ending.
• The joy of connecting with your characters and seeing them develop and overcome conflicts.

2.) Because you have something you want to say

You may write because you feel a strong sense of having something to say. This may be in the form of self-expression of a feeling where writing about it gives you some relief. In other instances you may want to write to share an important idea, a revelation you’ve made about how humans or society function, a profound realization about life, a strong belief you have or something you think will inspire others to feel better, to become better people or to help make the world a better place.

3.) Because you want to be the catalyst that brings the joy of reading to others through your book

I think it would be fair to say that most writers and wannabe authors would list reading as one of their hobbies because books have been a source of enjoyment and inspiration for them in the past. Some people can become inspired from reading a good book just because it makes them want to be able to stir in others those wonderful feelings they experienced while reading.

4.) Because having control over a fictional world can feel empowering

In life, many of us can go through times when we feel vulnerable, powerless or like we lack control over our lives. By writing a world where you essentially play god, it can give a great sense of empowerment. The fun thing is that even if you feel empowered from writing a piece of fiction, according to the Law of Attraction, the longer you spend focused on an activity which makes you feel empowered, the more likely you are to bring that feeling into other aspects of your real life too.

5.) For the pure challenge and its achievement

If you already know that you enjoy writing short stories, blogs, poetry, writing in your journal or anywhere else, a fun challenge you can set yourself is trying to write a novel, for the pure challenge.

During the process of writing a book you will most likely improve your writing skills and expand in this way.

For some it can help you feel like you’re proving yourself. Writing over 50,000 words can be akin to climbing a mountain. Both require skill and stamina, and both can feel like a great achievement when you complete them. For those who gain their self-confidence from external things, such an achievement can boost self-esteem.

6.) To connect with people and help them feel like they’re not alone

In life we often have a tendency to hide certain aspects of ourselves that are a bit dark or that we fear will be considered to be weird, wussy or otherwise unacceptable by society. When characters in books are portrayed as having such very human traits that we can secretly relate to, it can make us feel like we’re not alone. By writing a book with such characters (often based on yourself or other real people that you personally know) you as the author can feel like you’re helping people to feel like they’re less alone, and that act of reaching out to others in this very real, honest way can feel good.

7.) To leave something behind when we’re gone

As mortals, many of us have a desire to matter and to leave a mark on the world even after we’re long gone. By sharing a part of yourself through a book, you leave behind something that can outlive you by centuries. We’re still reading writing by the likes of Pliny the Elder and Homer almost 2000 years after they wrote them. If the thing that you leave behind has the potential of making a positive impact to the world in some way, all the better.

8.) For the pure experience

Why does someone want to taste a new food or visit a new country? For the experience. Writing a novel is an experience in itself which some people want to go through for the pure reason that they want to know what it feels like.

9.) To gain a feeling of acceptance from others

Whilst this may not be most psychologically healthy reason to write a novel, some people want to write in order to feel good from the positive feedback, compliments and general approval and acceptance of their writing. This is a slightly dangerous reason to write a novel because anyone who lets themselves determine their happiness based on the approval of others also can be particularly hurt in the event that their book doesn’t go down well.

10.) It’s cheaper than therapy or than taking a psychology course!

What better way to explore and understand your own behavior (and others’ behavior) than by getting it down on paper, questioning it, analysing it and researching it for the purpose of deeply understanding your characters? Writing a novel can be a great way of organizing our thoughts to help us learn about ourselves and others.

11.) It can be an excuse to study history whilst producing something useful with that information

History buffs can enjoy the excuse to read about a certain era in great depth and utilize that information to write an historic novel. Writing a book can give you a way to turn an interest in history into something that comes to life and which others can also enjoy.

12.) To make money from doing something you love

For those who enjoy writing as a hobby, what could be better than earning money from doing something you love? Much like successful actors or popstars, making it as an author has the potential to make you a lot of money if you’re amongst the ones who make it big.

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If you feel yourself being more negative than you’d like to be, you’ve read the article about why people are negative and you’d really like to learn to be more positive, this article has been written especially for you. Here are a few suggestions to help you on your way to overcome negativity once and for all.

Step 1 to overcome negativity: Awareness

The first step to overcoming negativity is awareness.

Most of us listen to and act on our thoughts and feelings without really being consciously aware that we’re doing it. It’s like a little voice in our head which influences us, yet most of the time we don’t even realize that we are handing over so much power to this little voice, letting it influence us. What’s more, we don’t realize that this little voice in our head is not entirely us. Afterall, if we can observe the voice, then there is another part of us; the observer part that is able to notice the little voice in our head. The key to overcoming negativity is spending more time developing the observer part of us and learning to give less weight to the judgemental little voice inside us.

To develop the observer part, practice observing your thoughts and your words in a very conscious and deliberate way. If you make an effort to take note of your thoughts and your words, you’ll begin to catch yourself mid negative thought. Bear in mind that as you’re catching yourself out during negativity, it may feel as if you’re suddenly a lot more negative than before, and this may be a little distressing, but this is just an illusion caused by your new awareness to any negativity that had been there all along. Catching yourself being negative is already a huge step forward towards overcoming negativity. The more you exercise this skill of conscious thinking and conscious speaking, the less inclined you’ll be to be negative.

If you sought out this article specifically to find ways to overcome negativity you’ve probably already started this step of noticing the voice of negativity in your head.

The next stage is to accept responsibility for your thoughts and feelings.

No-one can force you to think something or feel something. Ultimately, the only person responsible for allowing a thought or a feeling to pop into existence is you. You’re the one who labels any situation as negative, and then allows the negativity to stick around and bug you.

No situation is ever negative until you decide to mentally label it as negative. Shakespeare put it well when he said: “Nothing is bad or good, but thinking makes it so”.

Once you accept responsibility for all the negative labels you’ve stuck on things, you’ll see that this realization puts you in a position of power. It means that you can choose to see things in a more positive light just as easily as you chose to see things in a negative light. It’s just a matter of choice and habit.

Step 3 in how to be more positive: Make “overcoming negativity” a goal

When you make “overcoming negativity” one of your life improvement goals, it encourages you to take the task more seriously and helps you to stick to your intention. Keep your goal of overcoming negativity in mind and keep that intention active. Maybe you can write it down on a list of goals which you look at every day to remind yourself of your commitment to be more positive. Alternatively, you can write your goal on a post-it and put it in a place where you’ll see it often. It is known that people who set goals for themselves are more successful in achieving them. Having a positive focus point to concentrate on helps you manifest whatever you’re after.

Don’t resist the negative thoughts. This may sound a bit strange at first: Shouldn’t you resist negative thoughts if you want to replace them with positive ones? The reason why the answer to this is “no” is because resistance of any kind always leads to pain and discomfort. When you resist negativity, it can create feelings like:

• self-criticism (“I can’t believe my mind insists on labelling things as negative all the time! How could my mind be that destructive!”)
• and guilt (“This must stop! Look at all the misery I’m causing myself and others!”)

Despite the false illusion that resisting negativity helps you fight it, resistance uses tools like self-criticism and guilt that only serve to create more negativity.

The best solution is to observe the negative thoughts when they come. Observe their presence. Don’t judge them. Just notice them and accept that they are there. Then let them drift away without allowing them to make any negative impact on you. Letting the negative thoughts float away is the most peaceful solution.

How do you actively help negative thoughts drift away?

You can do this by simply being very connected to the observer part in your mind, watching the little voice in your head without engaging with it, until you feel the little voice quietens and calms.

Others prefer using visualization techniques. You can visualize yourself breathing out the thoughts or feelings into a balloon and then watching the balloon gently float away. Feel free to find your own imagery to help you with your visualizations. For example, if you prefer, you can imagine it being sucked up and away from you by a vacuum cleaner. Another visualization you can use is seeing the negative thoughts as a cloud that leaves your body and disappears forever into a black hole.

Since every event is neither negative nor positive unless you think and decide it is so, you can use the power of your thought to create more positive feelings by choosing to think about the event as neutral or positive. Consider alternative factors regarding the event to help guide your thoughts in a more positive direction. “Problems” can instead be labelled as “opportunities for growth”.

Examples of how situations which are often labelled as “negative” can be viewed in a new light:

• Losing your job: Positive thought: This may give me the push I need to explore this other line of work that I’ve been wanting to try. Without my old job, I now have the opportunity to find the courage inside me to give myself a chance and explore something new.
• Getting a divorce: Positive thought: This is an opportunity to let my heart guide me in life and for me to listen to my own internal compass.

Sometimes it may be difficult to reach for a more positive thought regarding a situation. In these cases, directing thoughts to a direction which provides some emotional relief moves you in a positive direction. Several people including David R Hawkins and Abraham Hicks have devised a scale that orders emotional states on a scale of increasing positivity. The diagram below shows an example of such a scale:

Whatever level you’re on, reaching for any higher level is an act of reaching for a more positive thought than the one you had before, and this can give feelings of relief.

Always focus on what you already have rather than on what you don’t have. Focus on what you WANT rather than on what you don’t want. Regardless of the reality of the situation, imagine vividly with all your being, where you want to be. Live it, breathe it, smell it, taste it and feel it! The Law of Attraction states that we attract to us that which we hold in our mind and in our feelings.

The more you focus on what you want, and the more you successfully manage to really feel what it is like to be in a better place, the sooner you’ll get to that better place. No matter what happens, keep focusing on the positive. Keeping a focus on what you want can only lead to positive places that will produce buds of change that will grow into shoots of bigger and better things.

It’s so important to keep focused on what you want. Any thoughts that deviate from this positive direction will disrupt the positive flow. It’s human to have moments where we lose focus, but if this happens, simply notice it, accept it, let it go and get back to your positive state of mind.

At the most advanced level of positive thinking, you will reach a stage of having no doubt that positive things are on your path. You feel it with your whole being, that what you want is actually happening.

The Law of Attraction states that once you reach this state of complete and pure positive feeling that something will happen, with zero doubt, it does happen.

Supporting evidence that the Law of Attraction works in gaining positive things:

Here is one form of supporting evidence for the theory that strongly focusing, imagining and feeling the positive situation, works in creating the positive situation: Some of the highest paid professionals in the world are Hollywood actors. What do many of these highly successful actors have in common? A phenomenal skill for getting into certain roles and feelings. I believe it is no coincidence that these very people happen to attract such financial abundance into their lives.

How do you gain complete faith that your positive intention will come true?

• Practice visualizing what it FEELS like to get to where you want to go. This will help you vibrate on the same frequency as your end goal which will help you attract it.
  If you have trouble getting your body to really feeling that positive state you want to reach, one technique you can use to help you get there is the Abraham-Hicks Focus Wheel technique. This method is explained very well in this video:
  
  As you watch  this video, focus on your feelings as the video progresses and you should notice a positive subtle shift in your attitude towards the statement at the center of the focus wheel by the end of the video.

• If you feel resistance to a positive thought, visualize this resistance as a seed of doubt within you. Steve Pavlina, personal development writer and an experienced user of the Law of Attraction, suggests a helpful visualization exercise for this. He suggests you:
  1.) Visualize yourself taking this seed of doubt and throw it away into the trash, or black hole or where-ever you want to imagine, disposing of it.
  2.) Then visualize yourself planting a new seed of positivity in its place.
  3.) Visualize yourself caring for the seed, fertilizing it, watering it and growing it.

That’s it! If you follow these 6 steps you should see some fantastic results in gaining a more positive outlook. Be patient and kind to yourself. It is after all a process of letting go of old habits and adopting new ones and these happen at each individual’s own pace. So give yourself a chance! Soon that little voice in your head will be a whole lot more positive!

Related articles:
- Why are people negative?
- Feeling Down: Why do I feel bad?
- Why do I get jealous?
- Shunning and Social Rejection: Why do people socially reject others?
- Why do I get angry? And how do I deal with anger?

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About the authors:

This article was written by Li-Or with contributions from Spiritual Counsellor, Janice.

Pessimism: It’s an unwanted epidemic of our times. It comes to us in a multitude of guises as people around us complain and spew forth negativity about their lives. They share how bad their life is, how difficult their relationships are, how little willpower they have to keep to their New Year’s resolution to work out more. They complain about their lack of money, their difficulty to find a job or if they do have a job, they complain about how much they hate it. They’re overweight, keep getting sick, feel tired and unhappy. It seems that they have much of what they don’t want and little of what they really do want.

Negativity is even rife in the ever-influential media, feeding our minds with bad news, tragedies, traumas, dramas and disasters. A BBC television program called “Grumpy Old Men” encourages viewers to enjoy watching grumpy middle aged men speak about everything that bothers them in the world.

Why are people so negative, and even more mysteriously, why do some people appear to revel in their negativity?

Why are people negative?

After lots of research, reading and personal reflection, we present ten possible theories for the causes of negativity:

1. We learn to be negative from the environment around us

From the moment we are born we are consistently and unthinkingly bombarded with negativity from our families, friends, peers, teachers and mass media. These people spread negativity and pessimism unconsciously rather than deliberately. They too were negatively imprinted by their environment and as long as they don’t question this imprint, they pass on the time-old repetitive pattern of unconscious negative thinking and behavior.

At a young age we are particularly open and susceptible to picking up other people’s tendencies because we don’t think much about what we’re doing. We just do things without consciously considering them, often learning by osmosis by copying and mimicking.

But all is not doom and gloom because there is a way out of this negative cycle! If you remain unaware of those moments when you’re being negative, and if you continue to allow negative thoughts and behaviors to persist, it may be true that you too will unwittingly pass the tendency to be negative onto the next unsuspecting generation. However, once you become aware of your thinking, conscious of the words that you use, conscious of your actions, and above all start catching yourself as the first inklings a negative feeling start bubbling within you, you can overcome not only your own negativity and stop it in its tracks, but you can also stop it from spreading to others around you and to future generations.

2. We have an evolutionary bias towards remembering negative things

Our biology may have something to do with the widespread negativity epidemic. As living animals, we are naturally concerned with our survival. As the saying goes, “safety first”. One way to ensure that we live is to be extremely vigilant of anything that might threaten our survival. For example, when looking at a beautiful landscape in Africa, it is beneficial for us to notice and pay close attention to the salivating lion that’s making its way towards us. It is quite clear where ignoring danger can lead! Similarly, it would have been beneficial to have a long-term memory of where a threat was located so that it could be avoided in the future.

Vigilance is always warranted when a life-threatening situation is possible, and unlike the joke t-shirt in the photo says, safey does come first. However in our generation many of the worries that we focus on are no longer life-threatening. Instead of only expressing negativity for things that threaten our existence, we worry and express negativity about things that threaten our reputation (e.g. insults) or things that threaten our personal comfort levels (e.g. the discomfort of sitting in a car for a long time in a traffic jam, or being exposed to music we don’t like). Not only do we express negativity about such situations, but often our long-term memory is activated so that we can remember a negative situation, like someone insulting us, long after it occurred.

All this is not entirely our fault. It is in our biology. As psychology expert Hara Estroff Marano aptly puts it: “nastiness just makes a bigger impact on our brains”. Negativity literally does hit us harder than good things. When measured in terms of the brain’s electrical activity, Dr Cacioppo of Ohio State University found that the brain created greater surges of electrical activity in response to negative stimuli than to positive ones. How much stronger are negative things? Marano’s research suggests that you need five good things to happen in order to balance out every one bad thing.

Having said all this, we do have the power of conscious awareness and controlled thinking to enable us to distinguish between helpful concerns (i.e. those that are life-saving) and hindering concerns (i.e. those that hinder happiness and have no beneficial purpose). Once the distinction is consciously made, we can begin working on letting go of hindering concerns.

3. We are negative because of lack of awareness and because it’s a habit

Once you’ve been exposed to the barrage of negativity from your environment, the reason you keep acting negatively is simply down to you not being aware that the situation can be different, and because it has become a habitual way of thinking and behaving. Negativity becomes an unthinking reflexive response to situations. Cultivating awareness and consciously making an effort to break the habit is the solution.

4. Our experiences condition us to be negative

When bad things happen, it can lead to negative expectation in the future. For example, if you fail an exam once, a part of you may have a fear or even an expectation that you’ll fail your next exam too. Similarly, when we “get up on the wrong side of bed” and our day is off to a bad start for whatever reason, a part of us thinks, “It’s going to be one of those days…” and indeed often the whole day ends up being disasterous.

In spiritual terms, it is said that when we focus on the negative, like worrying about how things may go wrong, we vibrate on lower levels of energy. Although scientifically-minded people dismiss energy-talk as pseudoscience, you can feel it in a person’s vibe. When someone is depressed or worried, their vibe feels heavier anad duller than someone who is upbeat and happy.

There is one famous spiritual law called the “Law of Attraction” which states that you draw to yourself experiences that are in line with your energy level, thoughts, feelings and expectations. According to this theory, where-ever your focus lies, be it on the positive or on the negative, Law of Attraction gives you what you think and focus on. Like attracts like. The more “I’m-just-being-realistic” negativity you expect from the world, the more negativity you’ll draw towards yourself. It’s like tuning in to a certain radio station where it’s inevitable that if you set your radio’s dial to 97.3FM you’ll hear 97.3FM transmitted back to you. So according to this theory, if you learn to “tune” your thoughts positively on what you want and not on what you don’t want or don’t have, you will be tuning yourself in to positive, good, happy experiences that you expect.

5. We are negative to vent our frustrations

Part of why we may enjoy expressing our negativity is because it feels like we’re offloading and casting it away. When we become worked-up over something, it can feel like a relief to complain about it, or release the negative energy by having our say in no uncertain terms, shouting at someone or saying something nasty.

Although feeling relief is a good thing, and our venting can release a build-up of negative emotion, this method of dealing with negativity does not direct you towards attracting positivity in your life. Once again, focusing on something negative will only perpetuate it rather than dissolve it. The trick is to be conscious when “bad” things happen. With enough consciousness, you will no longer attach the “bad” label to events. Instead you will see them for what they are: neutral occurrences that inherently have no negativity attached to them. By seeing things as neutral, there will be no tension build-up which needs to be vented. And by focusing on what you have, and what you do want rather than on what you lack, you will direct yourself in a positive direction.

6. We are negative about others to boost our own self-esteem

Another reason why negativity can be “pleasurable” is because if you do it by being negative about others, it can give you the illusion of boosting your self-esteem, which temporarily makes you feel good.

Whether they admit it or not, most people in the world have self-esteem issues to varying degrees. One way people sometimes feel a little better about themselves is by bringing down the value of others around them so that by default, they get the false impression that they are better than those they put down.

Put-downs such as these can have several forms including enjoying talking about other people’s misfortunes, vying for control and insisting that other people’s methods are not as good as your own, blaming others, making fun of others, nitpicking and making a big fuss over little faults and treating people as if they are inferior to you.

7. We are negative because sharing negativity is a bonding experience

• Joint agreement about something that bothers us in everyday life. A lot of comedians use this kind of material to make us laugh as they say how much they hate things we all hate. This is also part of the power that makes the program “Grumpy Old Men” so successful.
• Joining forces to demonstrate against an issue e.g. anti-war campaigns and other movements of activism.
• Joining together to bully someone.

All these can create feelings of acceptance, belonging and togetherness within the group.

One of the greatest fears humans have is of being alone, so anything which supports togetherness is preferred, even if the very thing that brings people together is negativity!

Bonding and experiencing togetherness would be even more enjoyable if there was nothing negative about it, so finding alternative, positive ways of being together would be far more gratifying. Having a good laugh together, or gathering together for something positive (e.g. a pro-peace campaign rather than an anti-war one) feels a lot better than having a good moan together about something painful and unpleasant.

8. We focus on negativity because we think this is necessary in order to solve problems

When something is good, near perfection, there is little to improve and work with, so it occupies your thoughts less. When something is negative however, there is more to engage with. This makes negative things inherently more preoccupying. The irony is that according to the Law of Attraction, the more you focus on the problem, the more the problem will persist. The solution according to the Law of Attraction is to focus on what we do want, and where we want to go from here rather than focusing on the problem itself.

9. We are negative because we think it will make people want to care for us

When something bad happens to us, kind people give us attention and sympathy. For some, attention and sympathy can be confused with acceptance and love, and receiving sympathy feels so good that they rejoice in expelling stories of woe where-ever they go. Once they wake up to the fact that sympathy is not true love, they will have no reason to seek it out any more, because the positive feelings gained by receiving sympathy pale in comparison to experiencing true love.

10. We are negative because it helps us get what we want

Whilst some people want to gain sympathy in order to feel cared for, others use manipulation to get what they want. For example:

• At work, a man may underhandedly say negative things about a colleague to ensure he gets the promotion rather than his colleague.
• At home, a child may play one parent against the other or throw a tantrum to get what he wants
• In close relationships, your partner may complain about their day and about how tired they are as a manipulation to get you to volunteer to do the chores or give them a foot massage.

What drives people to manipulate others is a topic for another article, but the bottom line is that this “impure” desire to manipulate can be behind negative behavior.

It is important to remember that every thing which can be gained by manipulation can also be achieved without using the forces of the dark side! Why should you stop using manipulation if it’s been working for you? Because dark energy breeds more dark energy and by using it, you instil emotions like resentment, anger and negativity in those you manipulate. By contrast positivity breeds positivity. Using positivity to gain what you want is not only better for you, it is also better for everyone.

Whether you use negativity or positivity to get what you want, sometimes despite our best efforts, we still don’t immediately get what we desire. Control over external things and always getting what your desires demand is something that is not always within our reach. Letting such uncertain things determine your happiness is therefore a risky thing to do. Even when you do get what you wanted, the positive feeling felt after gaining external things only lasts a little while before it fades and you set your eyes on a new shiny desire to fill the emptiness. People like Eckhart Tolle who have glimpsed the joy of the completeness and power that comes from enlightenment tell us that this fleeting happiness from gaining “things” pales in comparison to the power and happiness felt when you feel in complete control of yourself. The only thing you can always control is how you feel; your internal self. What gives enlightened folk so much joy is feeling in complete control of their thoughts and feelings, and feeling completely in touch with their true Self. Once they achieve this, they feel complete without needing external things; they are no longer slaves to their desires and nothing around them bothers them.

You can read more about how to overcome negativity in our article about how to be more positive

About the authors:

This article was written by Li-Or with contributions from Spiritual Counsellor, Janice.

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References
1. Marano H. 2003. Our Brain’s Negative Bias. Psychology Today.
2. Hicks & Hicks. 2005. Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires. Hay House

Orange is one of the least liked colors in existence. What makes you like the color orange or hate it? According to the ancient Indian Chakra Theory, loving or hating the color orange are two sides of the same coin. Both indicate issues concerning the sacral chakra.

So what do issues with the sacral chakra say about a person? Listed below are some of the positive aspects associated with the color orange and the sacral chakra, although note that strong feelings about this color could also demonstrate the exact opposites of the qualities described below.

• Either you’re an energetic person or you feel you need more energy:
  Like the color red, orange is a warm color linked to heat and fire; both sources of high energy. Being drawn towards the color orange may indicate a need for more energy in your life. It may be that your energy levels are already high and you resonate with vibrant orange hues for this reason, or it may be that your energy is low and you crave more energy that you can feel being exuded by the color orange. According to color therapy, wearing orange colored clothes can help increase energy levels. For similar reasons the color orange is said to be great for helping you come up with creative ways to raise yourself out of states of low energy brought on by boredom.

• Creative:
  One of the key qualities of the orange sacral chakra is creativity. People drawn to the color orange may identify with the creative vibes it sends off either because they themselves are very creative people, or are longing to unlock their latent creativity. Color therapy suggests that having more orange in your life can help you awaken your creativity. When people feel inspired by a beautiful orange sunset or sunrise, this may partly be due to creativity being awakened by the orange colors. For this reason these orange-lit times of day may be particularly conducive to creative ideas and thoughts.

• Curious:  Orange is the color of the sacral chakra whose energy is all about playful exploration: the essence of curiosity. People who like orange are more likely to get stuck into discovering new things, even if it gets their hands dirty. The playfulness may also be exhibited as a good sense of humor in some, and color therapists suggest that wearing some orange can add a touch of playfulness to the impression you leave on people.
• Sensation dominant:
  Not everyone is particularly aware of their senses, but people who feel strongly about the color orange are more likely to be in touch with their sensation function. Again, this links to the sacral chakra, which has a toddler energy about it where a person gains great pleasure and wonder from smells, tastes, the feel of things and generally using their senses. They may have hobbies that utilize their senses like modelling clay, wine tasting, painting or photography. On the downside, when unbalanced, orange color fans may find that their love of sensations like taste can also lead to excessive eating and a tendency to overindulge in pleasurable things.
• Sensual and good at creating intimacy:
  People who like the color orange may be particularly sensual people because the orange is the color of the sexual sacral chakra. On a related note, orange is quite a social color, good at encouraging intimacy between friends, so liking orange may indicate an affinity for creating intimacy in your life.
• In tune with your body and your emotions: People who are sensation dominant are also more likely to be more in tune with their body, with gut feelings and instincts. Orange-color fans also tend to be more in touch with their emotions, with feelings of passion, enthusiasm and joy. Sometimes, an intense like or dislike of the color orange may indicate extremes of emotional sensitivity. There can be either difficulty with feeling emotions, or excessive emotions overflowing from you. In color therapy the color orange can help to balance these unbalanced states.

• Go with the flow:
  Chakra theory associates the orange colored chakra with good flow. In fact the Element associated with this chakra is flowing water. This makes orange-sacral-chakra-dominant people more likely to flow past stumbling blocks, move swiftly on from problems and adapt well to whatever life throws at them. People who have difficulty going with the flow could benefit from having more orange in their lives according to color therapy.
• Enjoy travelling and exploring:
  Having an affinity for the sacral chakra’s orange color gives you increased chances of having the quality of going with the flow together with curiosity, and these together can give a person a travel-loving spirit.
• Possible Physical implications:
  People who feel strongly about the color orange, particularly those who loathe it, could have sacral chakra physical issues which include: back pain, reproductive disorders (ranging from menstrual disorders and PCOS to infertility and low libido), constipation, sciatica, body fluid balance issues, kidney issues, problems with addictions and excessive behaviors.
  In Traditional Chinese Medicine it may indicate a tendency towards Spleen issues (NB This is not the same as the Western concept of the spleen).

All the qualities described above may be experienced in the negative state in people with strong feelings about the color orange who have sacral chakra imbalances. It is not uncommon to have a person who loathes the color orange and also has low energy, creative blocks, issues with creating intimacy and an aversion to exploration. Usually people exhibit a mix of positive and negative traits for a certain color chakra, but people with extreme reactions to a color are likely to have a higher number of traits in the positive or negative.

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Disclaimer: This article is representing ideas from color therapy and chakra theory and not the author’s thoughts or opinions.

If your favorite color is red, what kind of things can it say about you?

• A love of excitement:
  
  

  Whilst some people prefer a quiet, peaceful life, others want a life of thrills. The color red is associated with high energy, activity, speed and excitement. Why this connection? It may be linked to the fact that when we’re excited, it can make us flush red. Faces tend to turn an attractive shade of beetroot as our blood vessels pump blood to our head to provide the brain with nutrients so that you can have your wits about you. Why is this important? Because exciting situations are often interpreted by the body as life-or-death situations. This isn’t too surprising considering that excitement can often mean situations like sky-diving, mountain-climbing, white-water-rafting, car racing, exploring new lands and the likes. Considering the link with a need for thrills and the color red, perhaps it’s not a coincidence that one of the favorite colors of race car drivers is the color red.

• An admiration of high speed:
  In a similar vein to an affiliation for excitement is a desire for high speed. These are tendencies to enjoy learning things quickly, love fast-paced sports and liking fast-paced movies and video games (like war-type combat games). You may also particularly respect others if they are fast-thinking or fast-acting like certain sportsmen. People who aren’t fast-paced themselves but yearn to be may also like the color red.

• A love of danger:
  When a warning light flashes at us, is it usually red. What is the connection of red with danger? It may link to red being the color of fire and intense heat which was one of the most basic dangers our prehistoric ancestors would have encountered. A love of red could therefore indicate a love of adrenaline-pumping activities and of living on the edge.
• Either you’re an energetic person or you feel you need more energy:
  Red is the color of heat and fire; both sources of energy. If you like the color red it could indicate a particularly strong role of energy in your life. Either it may be extremely high and you identify with red because it’s close to your temperament, or your energy is extremely low and you like red because of its unspoken promises of being able to give off some of its intense energy.
  NB. According to color therapy, wearing red colored clothes can help those with low energy to feel more energized and energetic.

• Either a strong desire for intense emotions, or often feeling intense emotions:
  Some people aren’t very connected to their feelings whilst other people are. People who love the color red may be at either end of the extremes because the color red is the color of strong emotions including passion, love, sexual attraction and anger. People who feel these strong emotions frequently may identify with the color red as fitting their personality, whilst people who lack these strong emotions but desire to feel them may like the color red because they aspire to experience the feelings linked to this color.
• Either being particularly bold and confident, or aspiring to this:
  Red is a color that stands out boldly from other colors. People who like the color red and wear it transmit the message that they are not afraid to be seen; not afraid to be the center of attention. This in itself is a declaration of a high level of confidence. People who do like the color red but don’t wear it could be aspiring to have greater confidence.
• A love of warmth:
  Red is the color of heat and fire. Some people prefer warmth whilst others prefer cooler weather. Perhaps liking red increases the chance that you’re one of those who prefer more summery days. The warmth of a campfire in ancient times was a source of comfort, security and aid to survival.

• A strong preoccupation with the need to survive:
  In ancient Indian scriptures, the color red is the color of the base chakra, which is the main energetic center in the body linked to our drive to survive. You may be thinking: “Everyone wants to survive! How is a strong need to survive something special in someone whose favorite color is red?” Some people are more preoccupied with survival needs than others. I’m talking about the people who think a lot about food, shelter, money (the means to survival), and similar things. Amongst their biggest fears are around threats to their survival. This can include a fear of loss of control, because control enables us to look out for our survival without relying on others. Not everyone is preoccupied with these issues to such a great extent.
• Competitive:
  People who like the color red may be more competitive than others. This is linked to the color red’s association with survival which involves the ultimate competition: The survival of the fittest.
• A tendency to be more spontaneous or an admiration of spontaneity:
  We’ve already discussed the link of the color red with survival. Survival is all about immediate instinctual responses which is where spontaneity and impulsiveness can be useful.  People who like the color red may find they admire the quality of spontaneity in others or in themselves.
• Very real and practical:
  According to ancient Indian scriptures, the color red is related to being very grounded, practical and realistic. People who like the color red may be more likely to have these traits. Alternatively people who like the color red may be the extreme opposite of realistic and practical therefore they may crave “redness” which is actually craving to balance the red chakra (the base chakra). Wearing red can help ground you, activating your more realistic, practical side.

Do you agree with these suggestions to what it can mean about you if you like the color red? Feel free to discuss in the comments below!

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How jealous are you? Take this jealousy quiz to find out!

What is jealousy?

Before we start talking about why jealousy happens and how to overcome it, let’s first look at the definition and meaning of jealousy:

Jealousy is a mixture of negative thoughts, feelings and behaviours we may experience when others have something desirable that we don’t have. So jealousy is a direct result of comparing ourselves with others. Other people’s good qualities, successes, achievements, possessions and relationships are all things which can stir feelings of jealousy. The precise expression of jealousy differs depending on the person and on the situation, but here are some common variations of how jealousy can feel:

• Feelings towards the person you are jealous of:
  - Anger at them
  - Feelings of hostility towards the person
  - Spite and ill-wishing towards the person
• Feelings within yourself:
  - Anger and resentment
  - Frustration
  - Feelings of humiliation or embarrassment
  - Fear: of failure, of loss, of damage to self-image
  - Depression and sadness
  - Self-pity
  - Feelings of loss
  - Feelings of hopelessness
  - Feelings of injustice
  - Feelings of inferiority
• Feelings towards the object of your desire:
  - Feelings of covetousness, possessiveness, yearning, longing and greed
  - Desire to control it
  - Fervent ambition
  - Passion for it (which is where the word “jealous” comes from, from the Greek word zelos, meaning “full of zeal”)

Behaviours that may arise from jealousy are many but include:
- showing off what you have (resource displaying)
- concealment of the things you have which you don’t want others to have
- acting threateningly or picking fights with people you are jealous of.

Common side effects of jealousy are unpleasant emotions in yourself and it comes with a risk that these negative emotions will drive you to hurt others. There seems to be nothing particularly good about feeling jealous but like all emotions and behaviours, they are there for a reason. Jealousy is there because there is an underlying message behind it which is calling out to be heard. This message can be one of many, and if we understand the drivers behind our jealousy, interpreting its message becomes clearer.

Why do I get jealous?

When looking at the causes of jealousy, the reasons are wide reaching because there are a great number of types of jealousy from romantic jealousy to sibling rivalry and to work-related jealousy. But in spite of all the different types of jealousy there are some commonalities in the drivers behind this unpleasant feeling:

(Note: The following are theories regarding the causes of jealousy rather than hard facts)

1. Biological cause of jealousy:

a.) Biological causes of sexual and romantic jealousy

Males of our species have always been biologically driven by the need to reproduce in order to pass on their genes to the next generation. By being protective over “their woman” (sometimes expressed as jealous behaviour), they are trying to improve their chances that she makes their offspring, so that their genes and their lineage have the advantage to survive in future generations.

Romantic and sexual infidelity, especially if it happens before offspring has been born, can imply that the male’s seed will not be carried on to the next generation. Biologically speaking, this would be a disaster for the males’ lineage and genes, so jealous behaviours may have arisen as a response to deter such infidelity.

From a female’s perspective, emotional romantic infidelity can imply that her male partner won’t be providing just for her and her offspring. If he is not faithful, he has to support several females and all his offspring which means there are fewer resources available for her and her children, and this could reduce the likelihood of their survival.

b.) Biological causes of jealousy over material possessions

Some resources and “material possessions” like food and shelter -based things increase the chance of survival. Like most animals, humans have evolved to fight for their survival, so negative feelings surrounding the loss of material possessions to the favour of others can biologically result in the successful survival of “competitor genes” and the failure of their own. Such implications may have triggered a response of jealousy to motivate the individual to fight for material possessions to increase the chance of their own survival.

It may be that this natural biological attachment to “things” that would boost our chances of survival has spread to other material things that don’t necessarily improve our chances of survival, and this may partly be why people can feel jealous over material possessions.

This need to gain things for the purpose of survival may also extend to the feelings attached to winning and losing. From a very young age children are seen to rejoice when they win in a game and cry when they lose. This may reflect a biologically driven need to win because biologically, winning is associated with winning resources to improve chances of survival.

2. Psychological cause of jealousy

a.) Associating self-worth with “things” and accomplishments

According to Maslow’s famous Hierarchy of Needs pyramid, humans have a need for having good self-esteem. People can gain a sense of good self-esteem in many ways, some of which are fleeting and fragile, like the pursuit of “things” and achievements. These may be taken away from you at any second, in contrast to other self-esteem determinants which are more deep and meaningful, like the knowing of and the development of the self.

Sadly, many of us attach our feelings of self-worth to things like how much money we have. In the West, the capitalist society we live in encourages this way of thought.

Other things we may attach our feelings of self-worth to are how many cool things we own, how successful we are at our job, how successful we are in competitive sports, how many friends we have, how much other people love us and so on. These are all the “fleeting and fragile” things which aren’t true reflections of your self-worth. They are deceptive reinforcements to the self-esteem. Instead of being meaningful indicators of your true self worth, they only serve to strengthen the ego* and only help you feel good about yourself as long as you keep holding on to these things and never let go. Relying on these things makes your feelings of self-satisfaction volatile and it relinquishes your internal power.

Jealousy may be a side product of associating self-worth with these fragile, fleeting, deceptive reinforcements. The moment you are at risk of losing one of these “things” that have given you comfort and feelings of self-worth, lots of negative emotions can overwhelm you: fear of loss; fear of failure; fear of a damaged reputation and self-image, and above all, fear of a loss in your self-worth. It is no wonder that people react passionately in an attempt to hold on to these things, because effectively they are trying to hold on to their feelings of self-worth.

Dealing with jealousy of this sort:

The first step is becoming aware that self-worth is not linked to things, and to understand your self-worth in truer more meaningful terms. If you didn’t have any “things”, but were just you yourself, what would make you have a good feeling of self-worth? Just existing and being a part of this world makes you a worthy person; equally as worthy as anyone else in this world.  You are valuable because only you can live the life you are meant to live as a unique soul and give to the world your unique offerings, no matter how big or small. Remembering this can always remind you how very valuable you are.
Alongside your present consciousness other things which no-one can take away from you are your true self, love, sense of humour, life experience, individual wisdom, perspectives and knowledge, kindness, compassion, creativity, talents, aptitudes and similar things that only you can give to the world which no-one can ever take away from you.

b.) Associating “things” and accomplishments with who you are

Not only do some people associate things with their self-worth and how successful and valuable they are as human beings, some people actually associate things with who they are. This comes with a sense of entitlement: “I deserve to have this because it is who I am!”

For example, they might think that if they didn’t wear the best designer clothes and drive a Ferrari they wouldn’t really be “themselves”.  Another example would be that people see themselves as a “husband” or “wife” so that if suddenly that relationship didn’t work out, they would lose their sense of who they are. “If I’m not a loving wife, what am I?” This attachment to things and labels, and confusing it with your sense of self, is another reason why people may hold on tightly to things and react with passionate jealousy when they are at risk of losing them to someone else. It is almost a primitive or instinctual reaction akin to being at risk of death. In effect, it is a death of your ego* and of your false sense of self. It is not your survival which the jealousy is fighting for; but it is the fight for the survival of the ego that is involved here.

How to overcome jealousy of this sort:

Jealousy that arises due to fear of loss of who you are can be avoided if you work on discovering your true sense of self which is independent of “things” and accomplishments. If you didn’t have all these things and labels, who would you be? To explore this idea of who we truly are, I recommend reading Eckhart Tolle’s “A New Earth” or Deepak Chopra’s “The Ultimate Happiness Prescription”.

The main thing to remember is that the self-image which you portray to the world isn’t the real you. Your job title isn’t you; your job is merely something that you do. Your role in the household isn’t you; it’s just a role you take that has its associated responsibilities and actions. The events that happen to you aren’t you either. All these things are parts of your life but the real “you” is the consciousness within you which has no labels attached to it.

c.) Low self-esteem

People with low self-esteem who feel that they don’t really deserve the good things in their life may be more fearful about losing these things. So the guy with the low confidence who has a beautiful girlfriend may feel overly protective and jealous of others paying attention to her if he’s constantly fearing that she’ll probably dump him the second someone better comes along.

The same can apply in friendships, with people becoming overly protective, jealous and controlling in an attempt to keep their friends from abandoning them.

Neediness makes people with low self-esteem hold on more tightly to the things they have, and react with jealousy if they perceive a risk of it being taken away from them.

What drives people to have low self-esteem is a topic for another time but in the context of relationships, possible reasons could include poor attachment to parents when growing up or a difficult history with friendships as a child. To explore the reasons behind low self-esteem there are plenty of books you can explore, a small selection of which are linked to below:

Low self-esteem can also be aggravated by seeing others achieve the very things that you have difficulty achieving.

For example, if you’re having a hard time finding love and doubt your lovability or your ability to love, but you see someone else find love, it can awaken within you feelings of failure and fears of being alone forever.

If you’re a judgmental person, your feelings of low self-esteem can be exacerbated further if you always labelled a person as a “loser” and now you see he’s achieved something that you always dreamed of achieving, and could not. It’s easy to feel increasingly inferior when someone who you thought was “below you” suddenly gains those deceptive reinforcers of self-esteem which you desire.

It might be helpful to remind yourself that first of all no one is ever “above” or “below” anyone else, no matter what their achievements are.

Second of all it can be helpful to realise that your lack of success has no reflection on who you really are, your true self, your lovability or your self-worth. And the comparative achievements of others do not add or reduce your own worth either.

If you have low self-esteem together with a tendency to use “things” and accomplishments as a means to increase your self-worth, it is a cocktail that could make a person prone to experiencing jealousy.

d.) Belief that anger and spite will get you the results you want

When we’re young, we learn from our parents that when we do something wrong, they become angry with us. Sometimes they punish us. And how did we respond as children? We usually surrendered to them and did what they wanted. It makes sense then that children learn that if you’re angry (a common ingredient of jealousy), you get what you want. Even if we don’t acknowledge this belief consciously, there may be a part of us that believes that if we react to a situation with angry jealousy, somehow it will succeed in getting us what we want.

3. Spiritual explanations of jealousy

a.) The belief that we are all separate entities and that we are special and even better than others

In the Western world we are encouraged to believe that we are all individuals, unique and special, and that we’re all in competition with one another where the best and most successful people “win” the best lives for themselves. Because of the emphasis on the importance of the individual, we tend to foster a belief that each individual is not equally worthy and others are not equal to us. We often believe deep down that we are better than others and therefore we deserve good things more than others. You see this a lot with political campaigns where each rival tries to convince the public just how much better he or she is than their opponents. Here lies a potential cause for jealousy: If others get something and we don’t get it, but we believe that we’re special and we deserved to receive that thing, it can stir up feelings of injustice and jealousy.

Overcoming jealousy through the idea of the  collective consciousness
In spiritual thinking there is a belief that we are all part of a collective consciousness. Rather than all being apart and separate, it suggests we are all connected together. All is one. If you see the world through these eyes, your neighbour’s success is effectively your own success. He is a part of you and you are a part of him. It makes little sense to be jealous of a part of you. Cultivating this acceptance and knowledge that “all is one” is a process and does not necessarily occur overnight.

b.) Lack mindset rather than abundance mentality

Scarcity mindset or lack mentality is when you believe that there is a finite amount of resources available in the world, and that if one person gets more resources there will be less available for you. If Jones gets the promotion, it means you didn’t, and it means you have less. Or if your friend married a corker of a girl it means she’s off the market and now there’s one less fish in the sea for you. This can create jealousy and resentment towards the “haves” if you find yourself amongst the “have nots”.

Dealing with jealousy that results from scarcity mentality:

Lack mentality is a mindset which is under our control and can be changed. We can choose to view the world from an abundance mentality point of view, where we see resources such as love, success etc as being infinite and abundant. If one person has good fortune it doesn’t reduce the chances of you having good fortune at all. If Jones gets the promotion and you didn’t, there are still lots of promotion-options for you in other avenues, if not in your company then in other companies. If your friend married a wonderful girl and she’s no longer on the market, well there are still plenty of fish in the sea for you. Opportunities are there for you in abundance if you seek them out.  There is enough happiness to go around for everyone.

In spiritual thought, the Universe is an abundant one and the Law of Attraction always works in your favour as long as you focus on what you want rather than on what you don’t have. You can read more about this concept in the books Ask and It Is Given and The Law of Attraction.

c.) Attracting jealousy-inducing situations: “Ask and it is given” as a cause for jealousy

As mentioned above, there is a spiritual law known as “The Law of Attraction”, and this suggests that whatever you focus on is what you’ll get. As strange as it might sound, some people consistently draw situations to themselves which make them feel jealous by focusing on their fears and concentrating on all the things they don’t want to happen. The result? They end up drawing precisely those things which they fear to themselves. To reiterate, the theory is that when you focus on something, you are sending the Universe a message that you want more of it in your life. It is as if you are subconsciously asking for it, and the Universe does it’s best to give that which you ask for. Remembering then that focusing on what you desire is what you need to do, releasing all thoughts of what you don’t have or don’t want. According to the Law of Attraction, when you cultivate a positive attitude you will draw positive experiences into your life.

Footnotes
*ego: The ego I am referring to is not the Freudian ego, but rather the ego as it is understood in spiritual philosophy, which is our false sense of self. The egoic self is all those things that we say are “us” which are not our true selves. The “false self” includes things like our life role (daughter, mother, wife), our job title, our past and labels we put on ourselves which we fight to preserve (eg rich, successful, lovable, confident, etc. etc.). Giving ourselves these egoic labels gives us a sense of control over our lives and a sense of security. Deepak Chopra notes that “the ego’s motivation is always rooted in its addiction to power, control, security and approval. The true self is always motivated by love.” That is the best way to differentiate between behaviour that originates from the ego or from your true self.

About the author
This article was co-written by Li-Or and Janice.

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This site is working in affiliation with Amazon.com (for USA visitors). If you like a product that was recommended anywhere on this website, please consider buying these products via the links on this site, to help keep this website running. Thanks

Disclaimer:
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this article is accurate. However the information contained in this article is for educational purposes only. Suggestions contained in this article are not intended as a substitute for consultation with a health professional. The author does not accept responsibility for the use of this information, nor shall the author be liable for any loss, injury or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestions in this article.

Am I a perfectionist? And if I am, just how much of a perfectionist am I?

Have you ever wondered: “Am I an introvert? Or am I an extrovert?”
Take this introvert/ extrovert quiz and wonder no more! Onward ho!

Let’s look at what it means to be an introvert or an extrovert:

What is an introvert?       What is an extrovert?

Introvert alludes to looking inwards whilst extrovert refers to looking outwards. Inwards and outwards where? We’re referring to our inner and outer worlds:

• The inner world is our world of thoughts and feelings. It is:
  - quiet apart from your own whirring mind
  - private and only known to you
  - as deep as you’re willing to go via introspection
• The outer world is the world around us, which is:
  - public and open to everyone
  - full of activity, people, chatter and noise
  - generally consists of everyday things that are around us.

Whilst we all inhabit both inner and outer worlds every day, most people tend to spend more time being active in one world than the other. Often we are unaware as to our tendencies to look more inwards or outwards. The psychologist Carl Jung classified people who live dominantly in the outer world as Extroverts, and people who live more within the inner world as Introverts. Most of us lie somewhere in the spectrum between introversion/ extroversion extremes.

Perhaps a clearer way of understanding what the terms introvert and extrovert imply is to look at some defining traits of these two types of people.

Note: These are all generalizations and stereotypes and people are usually not pure introverts or extroverts, but rather a mix of both.

Why does it matter if I’m an introvert or an extrovert?

Understanding whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert can help you understand yourself better, which is a step towards accepting yourself as you are, even if you deviate slightly from what society deems as “good”. Self-acceptance is important because it is an integral component of happiness.

Our society tends to be quite judgmental where introversion and extroversion are concerned. There appears to be an invisible social gauge that measures extroverted behaviour as being better than introverted behaviour. Friendliness, chattiness, sociability and generally being a “people person” are deemed desired traits, and these qualities usually are those associated with extroversion. Because people think these traits are “good” and preferred to their own introvert characteristics, they may beat themselves up if they are feeling quiet, private or less outgoing.

Introverts may be embarrassed to admit that they don’t particularly enjoy attending parties, or they may feel shy about telling people that they enjoy spending time alone in quiet places for fear of being deemed as antisocial wet blankets. Introvert traits are considered by some to be synonymous with the traits of the social outcast. People who notice their introvert tendencies may be frustrated with themselves for not having high social stamina and this can make them feel inadequate. But it’s important to remember that having lower social stamina doesn’t make you a less friendly person, nor does it decrease your value as a human being. We cannot force ourselves to be that which we are not, so accept yourself as you are and allow yourself to be yourself. People who are introverts can still be sociable, friendly, chatty and successful in the outer world even if they do prefer spending more time in their own company.

The idea that extroversion is better than introversion is a big misconception. The fact is that neither introversion nor extroversion is “better” than the other. They are just two different ways of being.  Each person is perfectly acceptable as they are and knowing this leads to self-acceptance and contentment with who you are. Judgment only limits you as a human being.

By understanding that their introvert or extrovert traits are completely natural for their personality type, people can realize that there’s nothing “wrong” with them. Being an introvert is just as okay as being an extrovert and vice versa. There is absolutely no shame in being either. They are just two different ways of being and neither makes you a more or less valuable person,

Not only can you be happier with who you are once you understand your personality tendencies, but it can also help you to seek out ways of making your life fit your personality better. For example, in seeking a career, you are far more likely to enjoy a job that fits with your introvert/ extrovert tendencies than a job that’s just considered “good” by society but which may not be appropriate for you. For example: if you are an introvert and prefer working on your own, don’t apply for a job that demands non-stop teamwork, (being a team-player is not for everyone) and on the other hand, if you are an extrovert, look for a job that involves being with people rather than working on your own.

Why am I an introvert? Why am I an extrovert?

Now for the saywhydoi bit: Why do we become introverts or extroverts? What determines these personality traits?

The answer to this is not clear but psychologists have come up with several theories.

1.) Genetic predisposition

Twin studies suggest that 39-58% of your tendency to be an introvert or an extrovert is determined by your genetics. (Tellegen et al. 1988)

What kind of genes contribute to introversion/ extroversion?

There is one theory that suggests that the genes involved in introversion/ extroversion are those that determine how readily your brain is stimulated by the environment.

Some gene types may predispose you to be very sensitive to stimulation like noise, light, chatter, smells and other inputs. At first a small amount of stimulation is enjoyed but after a certain amount of stimulation, you soon become saturated and have had enough. After that point, further stimulation can feel overwhelming and tiring. This describes potentially what happens in an introvert. They need to retreat from the stimulation and have a break from it in order to replenish their energy again.

An extrovert on the other hand may have genes that make them less sensitive to stimulation. This means that they can be exposed to the same amount of noise, light, chatter and inputs  as an introvert, but their threshold before saturation is far higher, so they will not tire of the stimuli very fast. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, they absorb the stimuli and enjoy their liveliness. On the other hand, when there is a low amount of stimulation, the extrovert can feel under-aroused and therefore needs stronger stimulation to feel satisfied. Since becoming stimulated is harder for them, they seek out external energies more often and need more exposure to really enjoy themselves.

A researcher called Eysenck hypothesised that the genes coding for stimulation sensitivity may be those in the Ascending Reticular Activating System (ARAS) in the brain. According to this hypothesis, an ARAS which lets a lot of stimuli in is one that can become saturated fast and lead to introversion, whereas an ARAS which lets less stimuli in becomes saturated slowly and can lead to extroversion. It is likely that this theory is a large oversimplification of what goes on in the brain.

Another researcher called Gray hypothesised that rather than the ARAS genes being involved, it might be genes coding for another area of the brain that may be involved in determining introversion or extroversion. He suggested that the “behavioural approach system” (BAS) which is the system that creates desire within us for things like chocolate or anything else, drives introversion or extroversion. What’s the logic behind this? People who have strong urges and desires (ie high BAS activity) are usually more impulsive and extroverted whilst people with weaker urges and desires (ie low BAS activity) may be prone to be more introverted. Gray also suggested that together with different BAS activities, introverts and extroverts may have different BIS activities (Behavioural Inhibition Systems). The BIS activity determines how often you stop yourself from doing stuff. People who have highly active BIS activities may be more shy, fearful and sensitive (traits sometimes associated with introversion) than people with less active behavioural inhibition systems.

Yet another theory is that introversion/ extroversion genes are those responsible for making, regulating and breaking down certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters.  High levels of the neurotransmitters serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine have been associated with extroversion whilst low levels of these may be associated with introversion. (Depue & Collins 1999)

Finally there is also a theory that the genes responsible for the brain’s blood supply may be involved in introversion and extroversion determination. This is based on a study that found different blood flow patterns in the brains of introverts and extroverts.  (Johnson et al. 1999)

2.) Environmental determinants

One researcher, Depue, suggests that 30-50% of people may have a genetic predisposition to introversion or extroversion, but will display the opposite tendencies when examined, and it is possible that these people deviate from their genetic predisposition because of environmental personality determinants.

Examples of environmental personality determinants that can increase likelihood of introversion:

• Being brought up in an introverted family environment
• Having lots of introverted friends and role models when growing up
• Being brought up in the middle of no-where or in a small community and being unaccustomed to seeing people often (Ciani et al. 2006)
• Social trauma like bullying which may lead to a preference for your own company through self-preservation
• Neurotransmitter-changing factors

Examples of environmental personality determinants that can increase likelihood of extroversion:

• Being brought up in an extroverted family environment
• Having lots of extroverted friends and role models when growing up
• Being brought up in a very interactive community where everybody knows everybody and you see people extremely often.
• Neurotransmitter-changing factors

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Note:
This site is working in affiliation with Amazon.com (for USA visitors) and The Nutri Centre (for UK visitors). If you like a product that was recommended anywhere on this website, please consider buying these products via the links on this site, to help keep this website running. Thanks

Disclaimer:
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this article is accurate. However the information contained in this article is for educational purposes only. Suggestions contained in this article are not intended as a substitute for consultation with a health professional. All matters regarding health and supplementation require medical supervision and careful examination of contraindications and possible interactions. The author does not accept responsibility for the use of this information, nor shall the author be liable for any loss, injury or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestions in this article.

References

Ciani et al. 2006. The adaptive value of personality differences revealed by small island population dynamics, European Journal of Personality, 21, 3–22

Depue & Collins 1999. Neurobiology of the structure of personality: Dopamine, facilitation of incentive motivation, and extraversion. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 22, 491–517

Johnson et al. 1999. Cerebral blood flow and personality: A positron emission tomography. Am J Psychiatry 156:252-257

Sharma. 1980. Clothing behaviour, personality, and values: A correlational study. Psychological Studies, 25, 137–142

Rentfrow & Gosling. 2003. The do re mi’s of everyday life: The structure and personality correlates of music preference. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 1236–1256.

Tellegen et al. 1988. Personality Similarity in Twins Reared Apart and Together Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Vol. 54, no. 6. 1031–1039