Thursday, June 02, 2016

Getting to the BRAIN up close.




I am fascinated by the Brain.
I love to study the brain up close.
It is not that easy
can't get that close
not having one myself !

My recent reading was about the Teenage Brain.
All Brain stuff is brainy !
But it’s complicated too. 
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A little out-take about a climate of trust::
Oxytocin is only released when you connect to someone you trust. 
If you don’t trust that person, 
your brain turns on the bad feeling of cortisol. 
Today, cortisol is called the “stress chemical,” 
but in the state of nature it signals pain and the anticipation of pain. 

So meshing with someone you don’t trust triggers the anticipation of pain, 
but distancing triggers fear of losing your herd. 

What’s a big-brained mammal to do?
You can re-wire the circuits that control these chemicals. 
You can wire yourself to feel safe when you 
distance yourself from your herd or pack or troop. 
It’s harder than you may think, alas, 
because slashing a new trail through your jungle of neurons is harder 
than flowing down the neural superhighways you built long ago.



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