Could someone who is shy and over sensitive be an indicator of low dopamine? Or not really? Or perhaps another neurotransmitter?
There are several neurotransmitter deficiencies that are believed to play a role in shyness. Dopamine does appear to be the primary one, although there is some evidence that low serotonin can also play a role in the process.
One piece of evidence is that people who are very shy can actually lose their inhibitions when they use drugs that increase dopamine such as alcohol or cocaine.
Ah so the theory is the dopamine is replicating what a alcohol user would be like (in terms of confidence) normally if they had sufficient dopamine?
Somewhat. We have to keep in mind though that there are a number of neurotransmitters, hormones and peptides all playing roles in our emotions and actions. So it is not necessarily the action of any individual compound but rather the balance in our chemistry. For example, too much dopamine has been linked to schizophrenia. So has excess serotonin. And dopamine is antagonistic to prolactin affecting mood since prolactin is depressive. Alcohol also suppresses oxytocin levels, which can decrease bonding.