Braverman

Part 1: Determining your Dominant Nature
Instructions: Answer each question by circling either T for True or F for False. At the end of each group,
record only the total number of true statements in the space provided.
Answer the questions in terms of how you feel most of the time. For example, if you’ve had a bad night’s
sleep and feel tired today, answer the questions that pertain to your energy levels based on how you feel
on a more average day.

DOPAMINE NATURE If you have a dopamine nature, you are part of 17% of the population.
When you are balanced, you are likely to be strong-willed who knows exactly what you want and
how to get it. You are fast on your feet and self-confident. You are highly rational, more
comfortable with facts and figures than with feelings and emotions. You are able to assess
yourself critically, but you may not respond well to the criticisms of others. You focus intently on
the task at hand and take pride in achievement. Strategic thinking, masterminding, inventing,
problem solving, envisioning, and pragmatism are exciting and you function well under stress. A
majority of doctors, scientists, researchers, inventors, engineers, generals and architects are
dopamine dominant, but this does not preclude you from other professions. You may like to play
chess, listen to books on tape, or do difficult crossword puzzles. You are tireless, perhaps overly
alert, and may need less sleep than others. When exercising, you may enjoy weight-lifting more
than aerobic activities. You may not be overly sensitive and miss it when others consider their
feelings more important than your reasons. You may be distant from your children, and the
stability of your marriage may depend on the loyalty and goodwill of your spouse.
Excessive dopamine Too much dopamine can lead to excessive risk-taking behaviors and
impulsive actions. Violence and over-control of others may be recurrent problems. Sexual
activity level might be too high for sustained relationships to endure, as extramarital sexual
activity may result. As teenagers, reckless driving, shoplifting, or date rape may result if you did
not learn to balance your dopamine extremes in time.

ACETYLCHOLINE NATURE You are adept at working with your senses and view the world in
sensory terms. You are highly creative and open to new ideas. You are a quick thinker who is
always taking other people into consideration. You are devoted to making things the best they
can be, no matter how much effort it requires. You are flexible, creative, and spontaneous, and
are willing to try anything new as long as it promises to be new and exciting. If your
acetylcholine nature is in balance, you are intuitive and innovative. You take pleasure in
anything involving words, ideas, and communication. (Acetylcholine is produced to a great
extent in the parietal lobes of the brain, which is responsible for language, intelligence, and
comprehension) You may be ideal in the roles as counselor, mediator, think tank member, yoga
and meditation instructor, religious leader, and in public service. Strong acetylcholine levels are
associated with high brain speed, which impacts the creative function, so artists, writers,
advertising professionals, and actors are frequently acetylcholine dominant. You are extremely
social, even charismatic. You love meeting and greeting and making new friends. You come
across to others as authentic and grounded. People find you charming, and you find
relationships come easy to you. You invest a great deal of energy and time into your
relationships and feel that you are personally reaping the rewards. You are an optimist, and your
see the possibilities in people. You are attentive to the needs of children and romantic with you
significant other. You are good at remembering other people’s feelings and reactions, and this
enables you to not hurt others. You are altruistic and benevolent. You love adventure. You are
open to new things and not afraid of failure. You like to travel, but you can also enjoy reading
about the lives of others. Your quest for learning makes you interested in a variety of topics and
adept at sharing your knowledge with others.

GABA 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.


EXCESS GABA Producing too much GABA may ratchet up your nurturing tendencies to the
point where you ignore your own needs or end up getting hurt. You may spend too much energy
looking for love, and then relying too heavily on you mates. You may look too much to authority
figures for advice and continuously craving and following the advice of others.


SEROTONIN NATURE Serotonin resynchronizes your brain while you sleep so you wake every
morning with a fresh start. If you have a serotonin nature, you are among 17% of the population
who really know how to enjoy themselves. Serotonin is associated with delta waves (which are
produced in abundance when we sleep) and affects our ability to rest, regenerate, and find
security. If you have a serotonin nature, you know how to live in the moment. You are a realist,
keenly responsive to sensory input, yet you can be impulsive, too. You love to participate in
activities for the “love of the game” and not as a means to an end. Achievement to you means
getting something done now. You thrive on change – you’ll alternate tasks and find new ways of
doing repetitive ones. You will try new foods, pick up a new hobby, and plan a different vacation
every year. When balanced, a person with a serotonin nature is receptive to stimuli, in touch
with both mind and body, often physically coordinated, and very resourceful. You are not put off
by struggle and undeterred by setbacks. If your work doesn’t feel like play, it is not worth doing.
Your serotonin nature is ideal for professions requiring motor skills, hand-eye coordination,
flexibility, and crisis management. Tools are extensions of the serotonin brain. Construction
workers, oil riggers, truck and ambulance drivers, military personnel, hairstylists, bartenders,
pilots, and computer programmers – who get to play with the most advanced and expensive
tools – are all likely to have a serotonin nature. Professional athletes, movie stars,
photographers, and fashion models might also have serotonin natures. Serotonin dominance
would also be essential for trouble-shooting business executives hired to save floundering
companies; for surgeons, orthopedists, and chiropractors; for detectives and investigators; and for specialists in crisis intervention. If there is excitement anywhere, you will find it, whether it be
parties, celebrations, video games, casino gambling, mountain climbing, hunting, skydiving,
hang-gliding, skiing, or scuba diving. You are passionate in your relationships, but refuse to be
tied down. It is important that those close to you recognize your need for freedom. You can be
the life of the party; you can be cheerful, optimistic, and easygoing. You want everyone to join in
and be part of your fun. You may have a special fondness for children, although you may be
overwhelmed by the commitment needed to care for them. You delight in playing with them, and
the roles of a favorite aunt, uncle or grandparent appeal the most to you. You are intensely loyal
to coworkers, friends, and family. People appreciate your practical side and the way you make
the best of any situation. You have many and varied friendships, but they may be more broad
than deep. Your impulsivity and desire for new experiences may move you away before deeper
roots are formed. You disdain order and routine, and with your love for independence, this can
put a strain on your closest relationships. When you are maximizing your serotonin mature, you
experience serenity throughout the day. You experience highs doing what others consider
dangerous, such as bungee jumping, motorboat racing, whitewater rafting, motorcycling, or just
staying out all night carousing. When you play hard, your body is in serotonin overdrive, and you
are having the time of your life.


TOO MUCH SEROTONIN Producing too much serotonin can make you extremely nervous. You
can become hesitant, distracted, vulnerable to any manner of criticism, and morbidly afraid of
being disliked. In the extreme, someone with an excessive serotonin personality is painfully shy
and sees himself as inadequate and inferior. Such people are plagued by sadness, anger, and a
desperate desire for interpersonal interaction, which, ironically, they are too fearful to attempt.