How Does Personality Influence Results? - Q&A# 9

Two weeks ago, a Patron inquired about the influence of personality on the things we do and the results we achieve. He phrased the question:

"Do you consider yourself more of an introvert or extrovert, and how much do you think your personality has affected your training and dieting?

Furthermore, have you seen significant differences between those two personality types when it comes to reaching goals and being consistent?"

Good question. Or questions. But let me parse them for you, because there's much to discuss. I've described myself as an introvert who carries himself well socially, yes, but intra-and extraversion aren't important factors in this equation. 

Nor are 4-letter abbreviations from pop psychology and dubious personality tests useful units of measure in the answer you're seeking. 

No. The only viable way to approach this question is at the crossroads of real-life experience and the science of COMT (catechol-O-methyltransferase). Here, we find answers. And hard facts. 

COMT Crash Course

Out of the 20-25.000 genes in the human genome, the COMT gene is one of great significance. The name is derived from the enzyme COMT which controls the processing of catecholamines, i.e. dopamine, epi- and nor-epinephrine. The latter also known as adrenaline and nor-adrenaline.

I've previously discussed dopamine in various contexts ranging from binging to lifting, and quite simply, it's a substrate that guides behavior through reward; signalling that we should do more of this when it goes up, and less of that if it doesn't. 

The adrenalines provide the kick needed to engage or move towards said reward. Physically and mentally - because adrenaline doesn't discriminate. 

To appreciate the finer points here, it's worth mentioning that most neurotransmitters work tri-phasically. But more on this soon. 

Here's what's important - where and how much these neurotransmitters are distributed in various regions of the brain, determines how you feel. Feelings determine how you act and behave. A cynic might say COMT makes you, you. 

But genes are complex - and wedged between countless DNA strands sits SNPs, single nucleotide polymorphisms, that adds to this complexity. Think of SNPs as plug-ins to the gene they're attached to. Depending on slight variations in each, they exert different and profound effects on the COMT gene; altering the catecholamine workflow by principles of delegation.

Needless to say, this has consequences for the host.

Worrier

Enter rs4680. More commonly known as Val158Met, this SNP comes in 3 versions, depending its alleles. But you can only have one. And that makes all the difference. Odds are you're in one of two groups, The normies - the one half of the population that possess a mixed version termed A;G. 

Or you might be among the 30% with A;A, or the Met-version. They're called "worriers" and as the moniker suggests, they're prone to nervousness and anxiety. They handle stress poorly. And as if adding insult to injury, they're easily intimidated, have low pain tolerance and a reduced resilience against certain diseases.  

As bad as that sounds, these drawbacks are compensated by an increased efficiency in processing information; the scientific term "exploratory" paints a telling picture of these people's inner lives. 

With consistently high dopamine levels in the pre-frontal cortex, these people find everything interesting. Ever tried cocaine? Don't - but imagine how things you didn't lend a thought to before suddenly becomes your sole focus. The previously mundane warrants deeper investigation.

Slight exaggeration to make a point, but it's how Met-people are in general - especially compared to the other extreme. Worriers are curious types - for better and worse. Better, because they're on average happier and smarter than the other 70%. 

Worse, when they fall apart under pressure, frozen with inaction, and unable to make a decision. Or when they lock in on meaningless bullshit and maladaptive thought patterns that come from too much interest and too little actual knowledge. See Question Threads 1-27 and you get the idea. 

Warrior

The other type doesn't yield to pressure. He revels in it. The warrior carries the Val-version of the SNP and he is in many ways the direct opposite of his Met-infused worrier.  

Borne out of low dopamine levels in the pre-frontal cortex, the warrior is naturally restless, eager to engage and ready to fight. He excels where the worrier fails and really comes alive where the other goes down for count.  During conditions of high stress, the SNP plug in kicks dopamine into the sweet zone, and with optimal dopamine levels, his natural stress resilience is higher and far improved over the others. Under similar conditions, warriors perform better than the other 80% of the population. And they rise to the occasion with superior focus, lack of fear, high pain tolerance and fast reactions.

The tradeoff? Well, Warriors feel miserable without a challenge, be it physical or mental, and their performance are lower than average without stress. That is, their performance suffers relative to the others in resting conditions. 

How can such peculair effects be explained? Why do worriers freeze when they get too excited and why do warriors feel bad when they shouldn't?  

Remember, tri-phasically earlier? Neurotransmitters exert different effects on low, medium and high, i.e. dopamine yields different results and the optimal  is found in the middle. Picture a U-shaped curve and you get the point. 

The worrier, with higher-than-average dopamine in the resting state, runs into problems under too much excitement or stress, pushing him closer to the high zone, where thought, feeling and action become compromised. 

The warrior, with low dopamine levels in the natural state, meets the same challenge with optimum dopamine levels; senses sharpened, thoughts quickened, now that he gets a taste of some action. 

Action pushes the worrier over the edge - and the the warrior into the zone. 

A Warrior's Perspective

I'm a warrior, here's proof. 

I'm also in the 99.9th percentile of the population of most Neanderthal genes, and that's worth bragging about.  The warrior gene, nah. 

But if you wonder why I'm so quick to engage, there you have it. I perform my best when I'm fighting someone or something, especially if I feel the odds are stacked against me. This explains a lot for those who remember the mid-2000's. 

It also explains why I look and do better than most in training, diet and everything else where a challenge presents itself - provided I think I have the physical or mental resources to win, because I never get involved in something I can't handle. And since I'm fairly smart, I know well enough to stick to what I'm good at, and noting else. That limits me to a handful of options.

I don't want to turn this into some self-indulgent rant, but I do like to offer the perspective I have. 

Everything attributed to the warrior variant of COMT applies to me to the T. The reason I train harder, look better and am stronger than most, has a lot to do with my genetics. I don't fear things other people fear, and my perception of pain is different as well. 

That's beside the point. The point being that I'm different - for better and worse, and that you are too.

Statistically speaking, most of you are a happy medium between warrior and worrier. But my experience tells me worriers are greatly overrepresented here, and anywhere else on where information exchanges takes place on the net.  

And worriers need all the help they can get. Which is why you have me to set you straight. And you can't learn this shit on YouTube, guys. 

Warriors? They're out chasing bad guys or serving duty. They don't get much out of the passive and computerised life most of us feel right at home with.  Either that, or under a bridge with a needle in their arm. 

(What I'm doing here? Preparing the troops.)

Summary

Does this mean you're better off as a warrior than a worrier when it comes to diet and training? Without a doubt. You'll find the same conclusion in the scientific literature. 

Most of you (50%) carry the mixed version (A;G) and fall somewhere in between these two extremes. 

I can immediately tell which one's which - it's very obvious and there's a shit ton of worriers in here who need to be made aware of the fact. Because knowing, recognising and acknowledging weakness is the first step towards self-improvement. 

So when I tell you to shut up, it comes from a good place. Pay attention and do not indulge your weakness. Inane musings quickly become destructive if dwelled upon too long. Think I let clients talk crazy or have funny ideas? I'll nip that nonsense straight out of his skull before he knew it was coming.  Like a surgeon. A surgeon specialising in bullshit so that you don't have to. 

So to those for whom this hits home, you owe me one. Because this knowledge will change your life and turn it around if you act accordingly. Play to your strengths, acknowledge your weakness - that's how you win. By  turning your exploratory and curious mind towards matters of merit and purpose. And let those built for it, handle the rest. 

Take comfort in the fact that you're going to earn more money and experience more pleasure than those who only find it in conflict and struggle.  

And here's the idiot's disclaimer I didn't bother with. Humans are far too complex to be narrowed down to the lowest common denominator, COMT being the one used here. We aren't subject to our genetic destiny. Unless we simply decide to float along like the rest. Like dead fish in a stream.

We are who we are. But we're not where we're headed.

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That's all for tonight, folks. Hope I didn't lose you with all the science shit. I've barely scratched the surface on this one - and perhaps that is enough. But if you'd like more insights on this subject, do let me know in the survey. Same if you don't.

Survey here - don't forget.  

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I'll be seeing again soon. In the Question threads shortly. And with a juicy little nugget when you've processed this one. Beginning of next week. Planned one for tomorrow, but that would be far too much excitement for one weekend. 

References for everything here.