Ep 55. The introvert brain: The science behind why marketing feels exhausting & what to do instead

Oh my God, the introvert brain. I find this so fascinating.

I’m going to go all nerdy and talk about the science behind the introvert brain, because guys, we are literally wired differently. And when you know the scientific reason behind why the mainstream marketing advice feels so exhausting for you, you’re going to get a sense of relief that, okay, it’s not me.

It’s not a mindset problem. It’s not that I’ve got no discipline. It’s literally your brain chemistry, and understanding that changes everything about how you approach showing up in your business.

I obviously talk about this all the time on this podcast, but I wanted to share the actual science behind why I talk about all this, because I’m not just making it up.

So that’s what I’m going to do today. I’m going all science teacher on you, so if you’re new here, hello, and a very warm welcome to Quiet Confidence with myself, Anita Popat. I’m a Marketing Strategist for introverts who want to show up without changing who they are.

As I mentioned, today we’ll talk about the science behind why you are the way you are, and more importantly, what to do with that information.

[00:00:58] Let’s start with the brain stuff because I think it’s really fascinating. (I would obviously say that because I’m a champion for introverts, but I hope you find it equally interesting too).

So introverts and extroverts don’t just have different personalities, they have different neurochemistry – different brain pathways that respond to stimulation in different ways at a biological level.

We know extroverts run primarily on dopamine, right? And dopamine is the neurotransmitter that rewards you for social interaction, novelty, external stimulation. So the more they talk, move, socialise, the more dopamine they get and the better they feel. It’s like a reward system that’s constantly being topped up by the outside world.

 Introverts are different. We’re actually more sensitive to dopamine, which means that too much of it overstimulates us rather than energising us.

We run on a different pathway that uses a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. This chemical rewards things like deep thinking, reflection, focus and calm. So it’s a subtler kind of reward, but it still counts as a reward when you’re looking at the introvert brain. So it comes from the inside rather than the outside.

Then there’s something called baseline cortical arousal. So introverts have a naturally higher baseline, meaning that our brains are already running at a high level of activity even when things are calm. When external stimulation hits on top of that, things like notifications on social media, being constantly on when you’re scrolling, or if you’re at a networking event, we reach our limit faster than an extrovert would because we’re already starting from a higher point of that arousal.

Now I know almost all mainstream marketing advice is built on dopamine – post every day, go live, be everywhere, respond to every comment, stay visible, blah, blah, blah.

For extroverts for who that activity releases dopamine and literally makes them feel good, that advice makes total sense, right? It works with their brain chemistry.

But for us introverts, it’s the total opposite. The more we force ourselves into that constant high stimulation way of showing up, the more we push past our optimal level, and the result is going be that familiar feeling of being completely rung out, not just physically, but mentally. You’ve given everything and there’s nothing left.

I don’t want you to see that as a character flaw. That’s literally your nervous system telling you what you’re doing is working against your brain, not with it.

I want to add something here that really stuck with me when I came across this. So a lot of us, I put my hands up, I do this as well, we wind down after a long day of work by scrolling on social media because it feels passive, right? And it feels like you’re resting.

But when I looked at the research, it said that scrolling doesn’t actually count as recharging for introverts because your brain is still processing all that social information.

Real rest and recharge time for introverts is things like taking a walk outside, journaling, reading, doing a hobby, so your brain is actively getting a break. 

If you’re wondering why you feel tired even though you spent the evening “doing nothing”, it might be because scrolling isn’t “nothing”.

Although your physical body is sitting and doing nothing, your brain is still doing the heavy lifting, so it’s not actually getting a break

So I wanna be honest with you here, this isn’t a free pass for you to be like, “No, I’m not feeling like it today. I’ve got no energy.” Because you can’t rely on your energy to always show up. Some weeks there’s just be none. Life happens.

If you’re a woman, your cycle happens. You might have a bad night’s sleep. And if your entire marketing strategy depends on only showing up when you feel amazing, you’ll be invisible a lot of the time, let’s face it.

Consistency still matters because your audience needs to hear from you regularly, so you need to build a sustainable marketing rhythm that helps you show up even when your energy’s not perfect.

The answer isn’t discipline for discipline’s sake. It’s making sure you create the right conditions so that you can show even when you don’t want to.

[00:04:33] The way I teach my clients is to find the high energy moments within your week and then use that time to batch.

Don’t just write one post when you’re feeling good. When your brain’s in flow and the neurology is doing its thing, that’s the time to create as much as you can, because there will be days when your brain’s just like, “Nope, absolutely not,” computer says no, and you want a bank of content for those days.

Another thing to do is to create environments so that you can show up even when your energy’s not quite there or you can change the state of your energy.

Sometimes if ideas aren’t coming when I’m sitting at my desk, I’ll just go out to a coffee shop or if I can’t do that, I might just not sit at my desk and sit on the sofa with my laptop. 

Another thing I do is to have set days for particular tasks. So I’ll have set days for recording this podcast, for writing my emails, for having my client calls, and that’s not because I’m a disciplined person,  anything but. The structure removes the decision for me to do the thing.

So I’m like, “Yeah, today’s Tuesday, it’s podcast recording day. Done.” That makes it so much easier to actually do it.

Even on the Tuesdays where I’m not feeling particularly inspired, I’ve already batch created my scripts, so I know I just need to record them.

The fourth thing, I guess this ties back to the scrolling point, is actually recharging properly. For me that looks like practicing my Sitar, doing my yoga in the morning. I’m really into jigsaw puzzles at the moment, or cooking…I’m trying to do that without a podcast in my ear, admittedly. I‘ve got into journaling and then reading my book before I go bed at night.

They’re really simple things, and you’ve probably heard them so many times before honestly, they make such a difference because the more you properly recharge, the more capacity you’re gonna have when it’s time to create your content.

[00:06:12] So now you know there’s a scientific reason why your marketing might be feeling exhausting, you also know that the answer isn’t to wait around for the perfect moment of inspiration. It’s all about finding your high energy moments and using them well.

Create the right environment, build in a structure that takes the decision-making out of it, and recharge properly so that you’ve got something to give when it matters.

Your introverted brain is wired differently, and that’s a good thing. It’s not something to fix, it’s just something to work with, because remember, the goal isn’t to be on all the time. It’s to show up consistently in a way that your brain can sustain. And now you know that it’s a science thing, we can work with that.

I hope you found that interesting. If you did, I would love it if you shared it with fellow introverts in your world so we can help more people build their quiet confidence and make that loud impact in the world. Speak soon.