Introduction
The autonomic nervous system has traditionally been divided into the sympathetic division and the parasympathetic division which have, in general, opposite effects on the body. Sympathetic excitation diverts blood from the digestive system to the muscles, while heart rate and blood pressure rise, the breathing rate increases, and sweating increases to cool the body, among other changes. Parasympathetic activation, in contrast, slows heart rate and respiration, diverts blood to the digestive system, and inhibits sweating.
It has been proposed that these two divisions operate somewhat independently of each other and that, typically, one system predominates over the other. This idea was first proposed by Eppinger and Hess (1915) and developed by Wenger (1941). Individuals with a dominant parasympathetic division have excessive salivation, dry palms, a slow heart rate, and high intestinal mobility (evidenced by a growling stomach). Individuals with a dominant sympathetic...
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Lester, D. (2019). Physiological Basis for Personality Traits. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_2345-1
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