Many a deep thinker has stressed the importance of knowing thyself. While the ancient means of knowing consisted primarily of self-examination and introspection, today we have other means. In many cases better means. Introspection is both fallible and severely limited.
For one we turn to psychology. The formal study of the thought processes and feelings and behaviors of humans. Of others like us. By knowing others we can better know ourselves.
While I often give the field of psychology a lot of deserved grief — the field is rife with sloppy science, exaggerated finds, and reckless theorizing — I must today give it due kudos. While it has its failings, the study of human psychology has made progress. And shows great promise.
In the spirit of applause and anticipation of better things to come, I offer these three, diverse, “quick hit” findings. Each fascinating in its own right.
1. Social fear may be at the root of stereotypes
Children with the genetic condition known as Williams syndrome have unusually friendly natures because they lack the sense of fear that the rest of us feel in many social situations. Now, a study reported in the April 13th issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, suggests that children with Williams Syndrome are missing something else the rest of us have from a very tender age: the proclivity to stereotype others based on their race. [source; all bolds mine]
2. Emotions linger despite a lack of conscious memory
A new University of Iowa study offers some good news for caregivers and loved ones of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. Patients might forget a joke or a meaningful conversation — but even so, the warm feelings associated with the experience can stick around and boost their mood. [source]
3. The feelings and motivations of empathy and violence may be biologically “joined at the hip”
[T]he prefrontal and temporal cortex, the amygdala and other features of the limbic system (such as insulin and the cingulated cortex) play “a fundamental role in all situations in which empathy appears”.
Moya Albiol says these parts of the brain overlap “in a surprising way” with those that regulate aggression and violence. As a result, the scientific team argues that the cerebral circuits – for both empathy and violence – could be “partially similar”.
“We all know that encouraging empathy has an inhibiting effect on violence, but this may not only be a social question but also a biological one – stimulation of these neuronal circuits in one direction reduces their activity in the other”, the researcher adds. [source]
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Tags: philosophy, psychology
April 14th, 2010 at 9:58 am
Those are great psych-bits! I don’t know if it works this way for everyone (I’ve had friends ask me, What does it DO for you to KNOW this stuff; what does it really change?), but many of the new findings from neuroscience and psychology research actually do have immediate application in broadening my understanding and informing my behavior.
April 14th, 2010 at 10:07 am
Oh, it definitely changes/informs my behavior (as much as intellectual learning can — experience/emotion tend to be more profound modifiers of behavior, as I’m sure you know).
For example, since Gazzaniga’s work on split-brain patients — and the insight that the language “module” lacks full access to the rest of the brain and, in a void of a reason for some event, will make fabricate one — I spend much less time wondering, say, why I may have fallen into a dour mood. I know it will pass. And I know I can’t know for sure what “the reason” is. Nor can I know for sure that my mind isn’t just piecing together a neat-and-tidy but false story to explain the mood. Who knows: it could have been something I ate. That may be as close to the truth as other reasons!