How Your Brain Affects Your Personality

In a previous article I told you a bit about low Gaba and Serotonin levels in your brain, and how such a lack may throw you into many unpleasant and stressful condition. I received many calls and visits after that article. So many of you could identify with the conditions of low Gaba and low Serotonin. Of course there is seldom just one factor that creates a certain condition; our bodies are complex and it takes a holistic approach, and sometimes medical for an acute situation, to bring back synergy and balance.
Today I want to introduce to you the other two brain chemicals that are important to be balanced. What I do not mean by that is that Gaba, Serotonin, Acetylcholine and Dopamine Med Center Health Patient Portal should be present in equally divided amounts; far from it. But you do have all four present in your brain. Whichever dominates gives your personality a certain trait.
What does that mean? If your brain produces more Gaba, you are usually a very balanced and stable person. When you produce more Serotonin, you may take the challenges of your day in a playful manner. A personality with a strong Acetylcholine output is usually creative and sociable, open to new ideas as long as they excite. They are fast thinkers and use all of their senses. Dopamine personalities thrive on high energy; they feel empowered and energetic. They usually move fast, love to finish things and be in control.
Before I go more into the Dopamine and Acetylcholine characteristics, it is important to recall that all of us have all four brain-chemicals present. The question is how to create a better balance? There are typically certain characteristics in people with a stronger presence of any of the four brain chemicals, and it is not my intention to advise changing your personality. A significantly low amount in any of these four essential brain chemicals will create as many problems as will a significantly large amount of the one that supports your personality. In other words: too much of a good thing is bad. You will feel the effects of a diminished amount of your dominant brain chemical most definitely. How? You just do not “feel like yourself”, you feel “off”. I had a person ask me, and I quote: “drown me in Gaba!” This person could not handle the stress, anxiety and insomnia she suffered. Gaba can help, but it still needs to be balanced with other issues that may need to be addressed as well.
Now let us discover a bit more about Acetylcholine.
If you are usually a fast thinker and create your days, weeks and months with a clear vision of what you want to do, but lately have not been able to even visualize what tomorrow may bring, your Acetylcholine may be too low. Your thought processes are slow, you can’t remember why or how to do something, having an attention deficit, are all related to a reduced brain speed and lack of sufficient Acetylcholine. If untreated, early Dementia and Alzheimer disease could develop. Let me also advise you to limit your exposure to aluminum that is found Importance Of Taking Medication On Time in so many products of modern life. Aluminum is known as a factor in Alzheimer disease; it also depletes your body of Acetylcholine. Another less known activity depleting your body of this vital brain amino acid is watching violent movies, including aggressive behavior and listening to foul or degrading comments. What you see, hear or feel has an effect on your body’s chemistry, which starts in your brain! I recommend daily body and mind exercises, including meditation and spiritual practices to recharge your body with Acetylcholine.
The fourth brain chemical I want to tell you a bit about is Dopamine. If your dominant personality characteristic is a strong will, a powerful intention with a mind to get what you want, and usually get it, Dopamine may be responsible for that. You find a lot of people who are good with numbers and facts, but not too great with imagination and feelings in this group. People who are Dopamine dominant have a tendency to criticize others, but don’t take it that well for themselves. Dopamine personalities are more open and may accept a more aggressive treatment to bring back their normal level, because they feel the lack of “power” as unacceptable. Do you remember that Acetylcholine is responsible for your brain’s speed? Dopamine is responsible for your brain’s power, the voltage. Extremely high amounts of Dopamine are found in people with a tendency to violent and excessively aggressive behavior.
Some of the symptoms of dopamine deficiency are a lack of concentration. Everything takes more effort to accomplish; you need stimulants to get your performance going. You feel burned out and tired even after a good sleep. There is all around a lack of energy (voltage) in your brain and body. The ability to gain or lose weight is also closely related to Dopamine. One of the first signs of decreased Dopamine may be a significant weight gain.
There is so much more to say about how the four brain chemicals: Dopamine, Acetylcholine, Serotonin and Gaba affect everything in your physical body, including your mental and emotional behavior. But again I can only ‘touch the surface’ in this article. I learned so much more about brain chemistry on my recent trip to Dr. Braverman’s Path Medical Center in New York where I had my brain tested with very sophisticated equipment. Some of the tests that you can do on your own are available in print.