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Posts Tagged ‘Buddha’s Brain’
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010
by Rick Hanson, Ph.D.
How did we evolve the most loving brain on the planet?
Humans are the most sociable species on earth – for better and for worse.
On the one hand, we have the greatest capacities for empathy, communication, friendship, romance, complex social structures, and altruism. On the other, we have the greatest capacities for shaming, emotional cruelty, sadism, envy, jealousy, discrimination and other forms of dehumanization, and wholesale slaughter of our fellow humans.
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Dr. Hanson is a neuropsychologist in San Rafael, California. His practice includes adults, couples, families, and children, as well as psychological assessments of children and adults related to temperament, school performance, and educational and vocational planning. For more information, please visit his listing on the Therapist Directory
Tags: altruism, biological evolution, Buddha's Brain, child attachment, emotional cruelty, extended family, family groups, fellow humans, friendship romance, hominids, human genome, love, neural substrate, neuroscience, parents and children, personal history, psychological factors, Rick Hanson, scarce resources, social structures, vulnerable child
Posted in Communication, Empathy, Experience, Fear, Happiness, Perceptions, Relationships | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
by Rick Hanson, Ph.D.
Scientists believe that your brain has a built-in “negativity bias.” In other words, as we evolved over millions of years, dodging sticks and chasing carrots, it was a lot more important to notice, react to, and remember sticks than it was for carrots.
That’s because – in the tough environments in which our ancestors lived – if they missed out on a carrot, they usually had a shot at another one later on. But if they failed to avoid a stick – a predator, a natural hazard, or aggression from others of their species – WHAM, no more chances to pass on their genes.
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Dr. Hanson is a neuropsychologist in San Rafael, California. His practice includes adults, couples, families, and children, as well as psychological assessments of children and adults related to temperament, school performance, and educational and vocational planning. For more information, please visit his listing on the Therapist Directory
Tags: action strategies, aggression, Buddha's Brain, carrots, co worker, implicit memory, injustice, kindness, natural hazard, negative direction, negative experiences, negativity bias, one people, painful experiences, personal qualities, Rick Hanson, sincerity, teflon, velcro
Posted in Communication, Empathy, Experience, Fear, Happiness, Perceptions, Relationships | No Comments »
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The Evolution of Love