Shaped like a butterfly, the thyroid sits at the bottom of your neck, just in front of your windpipe. It may be small, but the hormones it produces influence important bodily functions such as heart rate, digestion, energy levels, body temperature and mood.
Around 1 in 20 of us lives with a thyroid problem.
When the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone, this is known as hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid.
The thyroid can also produce too much hormone, which is known as hyperthyroidism, or an overactive thyroid.
A large international research study showed that more than half (54.2 per cent) of people with underactive thyroids reported higher levels of Type D personality traits, which included pessimism, stress and social inhibition.
