So I’m not asking Christian for a type analysis here, but if anyone can give me feedback into my Braverman results I would appreciate it.
I consider myself to be a type 2A for a lot of reasons that I could get into in more detail. I took the Braverman and was not sure whether the results were way off from being a 2A. I think that it definitely shows that I am not a type 1 though.
It says I am Dopamine dominant, but I noticed that none of my scores were very high compared to other people’s. I am just trying to interpret this in terms of major types. I think it indicates NOT type 1, but is low seratonin meaning type 3 or NOT type 3?
Anyway, is there anything odd about having fairly low numbers across the board? Also, I don’t think the test is the best way to assess these things because I could see myself answering both ways to some questions.
Part of my reason for taking the test was that I felt I was a 2A, but I am not really sensitive to stimulants like caffeine. I do need caffeine to get going, but it doesn’t overstimulate me even at high levels. I would think that a 2A would be really sensitive to a lot of caffeine. Maybe I am 2A but lost adrenaline sensitivity over the years?
So anyway, not asking for a type since the test can’t fully do that, but if I have been treating myself like a 2A should I re-evaluate? Thanks.
Hello, I’m a 2A and I love coffee to get me going but it never overstimulated. In fact very few things ever did that, even the rare preworkouts I tried. Anyway here’s what I described to CT and he said I was a typical 2A, so if it rings a bell to you you certainly are a 2A:
(Sorry I’m on the phone and have trouble copy pasting, but you can easily find the topic by searching “Am I neurotype 1B or 2A?” In the Christian Thibaudeau categorie)
what the low Serotonin means and also why my numbers seem to be fairly low across the board.
Is there a big difference between someone with higher numbers across the board than lower ones? One guy had high scores across the board and Christian said he may be neurally overstimulated or overstressed. Maybe it means low GABA?
I pretty much have to be a 2A by elimination. There is just no way that I am a 1 or a 3.
That’s why I don’t like the Braverman. It has many flaws.
It doesn’t test for nor-adrenaline/adrenaline dominance, which is one of the most powerful neurotransmitters and one of the 2 main “activating” neuro.
But that’s not the worst part. A lot of the questions/signs of dopamine dominance in the Braverman are actually sings of adrenalin dominance, or at the very least can mean either dopamine or adrenaline sensitivity. So if you are “dopamine dominant” you could be anything between 1A, 1B, 2A or 2B
3.A high dopamine score actually means low dopamine BUT high dopamine sensitivity
A high serotonin score means low serotonin (type 3 or 2B) and a low serotonin score means high serotonin. (if you look at the symptoms of high/low serotonin)
Your scores are actually VERY normal for a 2A. 2As are the “middle” neurotype. They are the most versatile and will often show fairly even scores in everything.
From your score it would indicate a Type 2A with a fairly high acetylcholine level. Your “dopamine” score is fairly low because it only partially test for adrenaline sensitivity. If the adrenaline questions and the dopamine questions made their own category and then were completed by more questions for those categories you would have likely scored even higher on adrenaline.
The low serotonin score indicate a fairly high serotonin level. So you are a Type 2A with high acetylcholine and serotonin, which will allow you to handle a fairly high amount of volume, learn new exercises easily and need variation both in exercises and methods/loading schemes.
BTW these are sings of high and low serotonin:
HIGH SEROTONIN
Very relaxed, great under pressure
Tends to feel warmer overall
Very comfortable with sudden changes
Gets bored when things get repetitive
Fast recovery from illnesses
Doesn’t get burned out from daily stressors
Tends to have lower BP and HR (less sympa act)
Can easily switch off at the end of the day
Tends to function in broad strokes, not perfect.
High tolerance to pain and discomfort
Low reactivity
Prefers to adlib and adapt to a situation
LOW SEROTONIN
High baseline anxiety
Cold hands and feet
Hard time adapting behavior or adjusting to change
OCD behavior
Gets sick more easily, take a longer time to recover
Lower baseline energy level, often wants to nap
Increase in the desire for salty foods
Tends to have a higher blood pressure (anxiety)
Insomnia due to not able to switch-off brain
Perfectionist, attention to detail
Higher perception of pain
Hyper reactive
Functions better when following a plan
Just for comparison’s sake, here are sings of high dopamine SENSITIVITY and high adrenaline SENSITIVITY
HIGH DOPAMINE SENSITIVITY
High energy level
Very motivated/driven
Frequent insomia due to excitation
High libido
Fiery behavior , quick tempered
Impatient
Very competitive
Loves intense sensations
Feeling of strength after intense physical activity
Needs to be the leader
Don’t do well with authority
Prefer non-fiction books over novels
Fantasize about domination and power
Aggressive reaction to criticism
Mental toughness
Will do anything to reach his objective
Loves to argue (to convince people, to win)
Needs to win
HIGH ADRENALINE SENSITIVITY
Drastic change in personality when stimulated
Excellent reflexes, sometimes hyper-reactive
Easily distracted
Skin hypersensitivity
Tends to have high BP (due to sympa activation)
Tends to have a high resting heart rate
Rapid HR increase in stressful situations
Male sex organ constriction during physical activity or stress (shrinkage, tighter scrotum)
More prone to erectile dysfunction during stress
Irritable
Can easily go without food for a long period
Lower self-esteem / confidance level
Needs the approval, respect, love, etc. of others
Thanks. I’m definitely high on the adrenaline sensitivity from your description. Also high in serotonin from your description.
Also, what does it mean when people get really high numbers like 30-40 on the GABA, Acetocholin and Dopamine? Is that better or worse than numbers in the mid 20s? (Is it more important how high they score or just which ones are dominant?
That would be a 1B (most of the time) . Normally a very high dopamine score makes it more likely that you are dopamine sensitive rather than adrenaline sensitive. But I don’t really like this discussion because the Braverman is simply a tool that doesn’t work well with the neurotyping system.
Just wanted to mention that this makes sense, but the Braverman online test says that only 17% of the population is “dopamine dominant.” That seems odd.
Well maybe if they use his system, which is not accurate IMHO. Of course I’m going to preach for my own church, but I’ve used the Braverman and it didn’t work for 30% of my clients or so.
Makes sense, but GABA is not a dominance. And that’s the difference with neurotyping, it takes all the neurotransmitters into consideration into building the profiles
Yea, I can see from your evaluations that you have to look at the whole profile.
The test I took says that 50% of the population is GABA dominant.
“ABA NATURE A person with a GABA nature is stable. Almost 50% of the world share this nature, whose hallmarks are consistency, sociability, and concern for others. If you have a GABA nature, you will likely show up every day for work and be there when others need you. When your GABA is in balance, you remain calm when chaos swirls around you. Characteristics of objectivity, levelheadedness, punctuality, practicality, and confidence all come naturally to you. Staying organized is very important to you, and rigid schedules are comforting rather than confining – they eliminate uncertainty and ensure smooth sailing. GABA dominant people tend to gravitate to careers as administrators, accountants, security officers, nurses, medical technicians, air-traffic controllers, news reporters, EMT’s, meeting planners, bus drivers, and homemakers. No matter what the job, the GABA-natured person is the one who tethers the group, who stays focused on the matter at hand, yet usually defers to the majority. You are the consummate team player, deriving pleasure from fulfilling your obligations and taking care of those you love. You are sensible, settled, and not prone to wide swings of emotion or outbursts of anger. You both relish group activities and cherish one-to-one connections. Making others comfortable makes you happy. Marriage is seen as a long-term haven. You probably believe in traditions and institutions, and enjoy your part in making them work, especially at your place of worship. You look forward to holiday gatherings, and planning for them seems more like play than work. You probably like history books and biographies. Collecting memorabilia and creating scrapbooks may provide hours of entertainment. There are times when you feel you’ve had a strong nurturing effect on others, such as after hosting a holiday dinner.”
Yeah but the thing is that GABA is not a dominance and can go up and down very easily based on stress levels and nutrition. The real dominances are dopamine, adrenaline and serotoine, GABA and acetylcholine when “added” to the dominance can change the profile and the capacity of the person… like a type 1 with high acetylcholine will be a 1B, especially if they have high GABA too.
A Type 2 with high GABA will be a type 2A and with low GABA a type 2B.
So do acetocholine and GABA drop off when cortisol production is chronically high, or do low acetocholine and GABA levels make you have higher baseline cortisol levels?
GABA and serotonin can drop when you have too much stress yes, not necessarily related to cortisol though. It’s more a matter of those two neurotransmitters being needed to calm the brain down (reduce neuronal excitation) and if that happens too much/too often you can deplete GABA and/or serotonin
Oh thanks. I was wondering with aceotcholine about C.P.s idea of having nuts before training to raise acetocholine.
When someone takes L-Theanine to calm down, does it deplete GABA or serotonin in the process by making you release more of them, or does it make you more sensitive to them and conserve them? (Or something altogether different?)
Also when you are chronically stressed, does GABA or Serotoin depletion reduce testosterone, or is that a separate mechanism due to cortisol robbing precursors.
