More Brain Fun
- axordil
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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/science/24angier.html
Empathy demands
A flood of oxytocin
Before you connect
Empathy demands
A flood of oxytocin
Before you connect
Now that's really interesting. Since oxytocin is responsible for empathy and lactation, and I had too much of both (had milk in my breasts for 10 years after weaning the last one) I wonder if anyone would be interested in finding out my oxytocin levels? They are probably abonormally high.
I'm going to post that article on an empath board I'm a member of and see what the folks there think of it.
I'm going to post that article on an empath board I'm a member of and see what the folks there think of it.
- axordil
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The opening paragraph of this NYT essay is pretty funny. The rest is merely intriguing.
The Moral Life of Babies
Obviously one wants to see the numbers and details, but at first glance it seems like a good study, especially in that in raises more questions than it answers.
The Moral Life of Babies
Obviously one wants to see the numbers and details, but at first glance it seems like a good study, especially in that in raises more questions than it answers.
That was an interesting read. I wonder if the old wives tale about babies and dogs being the best judge of character is somewhat true. I've notice if my dogs don't at some point warm up to someone (after 5 to 15 minutes) I tend to get a bit freaked out. I've observed that babies tend to not like mean people too, the example I can think of is th horrid ex co-worker of mine who was a bully mean person to everyone, babies would not go to her no matter what. She also didn't like kids, continually said that her son was a mistake and that she never wanted to be a mother (yes she told her son this too). She couldn't get a baby within 4 feet of her with out them crying, newborn on up to 3 or so.
From the ashes, a fire shall be woken. A light from the shadow shall spring. Renewed shall be blade that was broken. The crownless again shall be king.
Loving living in the Pacific Northwest.
Loving living in the Pacific Northwest.
- Lidless
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I will take this as Indisputable Scientific Proof that my man boobs or 'moobs' to use the current vernacular (aah - there was a word with a different meaning back in the day - sort of - some adverbs, verbs and nouns are in common) are as a result of my body producing this chemical....oxytocin is responsible for empathy and lactation...
Nothing to do with my lifestyle. I just liked to healthily nurture n00bs, OK?
It's about time.
- Dave_LF
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I think we should take a cue from Matses and come up with a new language for scientists and philosophers that incorporates epistemology. Think how much time could be saved, and how many errors prevented!axordil wrote:I love this kind of neuro/psycholinguistic stuff.
that's a great article, Ax.
I've often thought that learning a computer language - not an application one - but the kind we grew up with - teaches us to be logical in thought, and helps us break things down into small sets of instructions.
I've often thought that learning a computer language - not an application one - but the kind we grew up with - teaches us to be logical in thought, and helps us break things down into small sets of instructions.
Last edited by Inanna on Fri Aug 27, 2010 9:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
'You just said "your getting shorter": you've obviously been drinking too much ent-draught and not enough Prim's.' - Jude
- Dave_LF
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That the problem with all these new-fangled languages that do all the work for you.
But talking to computers all the time certainly does affect the way you think. For example, my wife and I act out scenes like the one in this joke all the time:
A woman ask her programmer husband, "Honey, could you stop at the grocery store on your way home and buy a loaf of bread? And if they have eggs, get a dozen". A little while later, the man comes home with twelve loaves of bread. "Why did you buy so much bread?!" asks the woman. "They had eggs".
But talking to computers all the time certainly does affect the way you think. For example, my wife and I act out scenes like the one in this joke all the time:
A woman ask her programmer husband, "Honey, could you stop at the grocery store on your way home and buy a loaf of bread? And if they have eggs, get a dozen". A little while later, the man comes home with twelve loaves of bread. "Why did you buy so much bread?!" asks the woman. "They had eggs".
Lots of things we thought we knew about what the brain does are thrown into question by this case:
Boy Without a Cerebellum Baffles Doctors
Boy Without a Cerebellum Baffles Doctors
- Primula Baggins
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That is extremely odd.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
- Túrin Turambar
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I know I'm six months' late, but I love it!Dave_LF wrote:A woman ask her programmer husband, "Honey, could you stop at the grocery store on your way home and buy a loaf of bread? And if they have eggs, get a dozen". A little while later, the man comes home with twelve loaves of bread. "Why did you buy so much bread?!" asks the woman. "They had eggs".
I probably missed it the first time because I was somewhere between Boulder and Calgary.
- axordil
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Well, very young brains are very plastic. But while the kid is doing surprisingly well, he's not exactly untouched by the absence of a couple of chunks of brain.Maria wrote:Lots of things we thought we knew about what the brain does are thrown into question by this case:
Boy Without a Cerebellum Baffles Doctors