We often take things for granted that always give us satisfaction. Here are some examples - it always smells good after it rains, ice cream sundaes always taste good, and sex always feels good. What? Huh? I got your attention, didn’t I? Sex always feels good. Okay, maybe there are exceptions but it almost always feels good. Have you ever thought about why that is? You say you don’t want to analyze it. You just want to do it. Okay fine, but why do you want to do it? Because it feels good. And now we are back to where we started. So, why is it that sex feels good? What reason could there be?
Well, it ain’t rocket science. One of the primary objectives in nature is the continuation of the species. Having sex ensures that the species will continue. So now you might say that people can have sex for pleasure and not just to reproduce. Okay, that’s true but here we are again talking about why it feels good in the first place. If sex didn’t feel good, we might not bother with it and then we would be in danger of the human race going extinct. So, nature developed the orgasm as an incentive for people to engage in sexual behavior. That’s what a biologist would say anyway.
Human sexuality is more complex than just a way to fulfill the need to reproduce. People are social animals. We get positive reinforcement from other people for things like status, prestige, and money. We pursue these things to some extent because they can potentially give us access to more attractive sexual partners which, in turn, bolsters our self-esteem. So, even though nature has primed us to enjoy sex, it’s the social reinforcement and how it makes us feel about ourselves that keeps us doing it for reasons besides reproduction. Now, why am I suddenly craving an ice cream sundae? Hmm…
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Hearing Colors
Imagine you are listening to your favorite song. You’re singing along and see different colors when you hear different notes. Later, you check the baseball box scores in the newspaper and each number is a different color – the ones are red, the twos are blue, the threes are green, etc. You aren't crazy and you aren't on drugs. This is just what happens when you listen to music or read numbers.
What was just described is called synesthesia. It occurs in about five people out of a thousand (around 1.5 million Americans). The most common type of synesthesia is number-color where you see numbers in different colors. Other people see colors when they hear sounds. Some even experience different tastes when they hear sounds. Synesthesia was once thought to be a made up problem. Reports of people seeing numbers as colors just weren’t believed. Controlled studies have shown that synesthesia really exists. So, what could cause this to occur?
Well, there happens to be a juncture in the brain where sound, color, and number information is processed. When this area develops normally, we experience these sensations separately. However, if a genetic mutation occurs while this region is developing, our senses can get crossed. The result is that we might see colors when we hear music or see numbers in different colors.
Synesthesia does not cause any adverse health problems. Many people with synesthesia are drawn to creative things like painting or playing music. They find that they can channel their unique perceptual experiences into their chosen art. Synesthesia is yet another example of how the brain creates our experience of the world. Depending on how your brain is wired, you can experience the world differently.
What was just described is called synesthesia. It occurs in about five people out of a thousand (around 1.5 million Americans). The most common type of synesthesia is number-color where you see numbers in different colors. Other people see colors when they hear sounds. Some even experience different tastes when they hear sounds. Synesthesia was once thought to be a made up problem. Reports of people seeing numbers as colors just weren’t believed. Controlled studies have shown that synesthesia really exists. So, what could cause this to occur?
Well, there happens to be a juncture in the brain where sound, color, and number information is processed. When this area develops normally, we experience these sensations separately. However, if a genetic mutation occurs while this region is developing, our senses can get crossed. The result is that we might see colors when we hear music or see numbers in different colors.
Synesthesia does not cause any adverse health problems. Many people with synesthesia are drawn to creative things like painting or playing music. They find that they can channel their unique perceptual experiences into their chosen art. Synesthesia is yet another example of how the brain creates our experience of the world. Depending on how your brain is wired, you can experience the world differently.
It's All You
The mind emerges from the brain. Contemporary neuroscientists and psychologists agree that the mind would not exist without a fully functioning brain. There’s plenty of evidence to support this idea from brain imaging studies and cases of people who have had various diseases and brain traumas. Yet, many people still believe that the mind exists outside of their bodies. One argument posed against the “mind is brain” idea from time to time is that the brain could not possibly store all of our memories. Let’s take a look at this idea and see if it has any merit.
First, let’s take a look at the facts. There are approximately 100 billion neurons in the brain. Each neuron connects with as many as 100,000 other neurons. This makes for one quadrillion total connections in an average brain. Each brain cell fires around 10 times per second so there are 10 quadrillion neural impulses per second! Currently, there are no computers that can process as much information as quickly as the human brain. IBM recently introduced a super computer that can perform 3 quadrillion calculations per second. At this rate, computers may surpass the computational power of the brain in the next decade. We might be able to produce artificial intelligence when that happens.
Maybe now you are getting the idea of how complex the brain is. These numbers are difficult to comprehend. How big is a billion? If you counted to one million at a normal pace, it would take you about 11 days. But, if you counted to one billion, it would take you 30 years! There are an enormous number of brain cells and an even larger number of connections between those cells. When you consider how much information can be stored on computer microchips, it's easy to see how the brain could store all its information in the vastness of its neural connections.
So, why do people resist the idea that the mind is what the brain does? I think it’s a fear people have that there may not be anything beyond ourselves if the mind is contained within the brain. They might also fear that it somehow lessens our place in the universe and diminishes our humanity. The thing is, if the mind is the brain, that in no way rules out anything beyond us. We shouldn’t feel any loss of humanity either. Nature has given us an amazing brain. That's what makes us human.
First, let’s take a look at the facts. There are approximately 100 billion neurons in the brain. Each neuron connects with as many as 100,000 other neurons. This makes for one quadrillion total connections in an average brain. Each brain cell fires around 10 times per second so there are 10 quadrillion neural impulses per second! Currently, there are no computers that can process as much information as quickly as the human brain. IBM recently introduced a super computer that can perform 3 quadrillion calculations per second. At this rate, computers may surpass the computational power of the brain in the next decade. We might be able to produce artificial intelligence when that happens.
Maybe now you are getting the idea of how complex the brain is. These numbers are difficult to comprehend. How big is a billion? If you counted to one million at a normal pace, it would take you about 11 days. But, if you counted to one billion, it would take you 30 years! There are an enormous number of brain cells and an even larger number of connections between those cells. When you consider how much information can be stored on computer microchips, it's easy to see how the brain could store all its information in the vastness of its neural connections.
So, why do people resist the idea that the mind is what the brain does? I think it’s a fear people have that there may not be anything beyond ourselves if the mind is contained within the brain. They might also fear that it somehow lessens our place in the universe and diminishes our humanity. The thing is, if the mind is the brain, that in no way rules out anything beyond us. We shouldn’t feel any loss of humanity either. Nature has given us an amazing brain. That's what makes us human.
Brain Dominos
Here we are in the 21st century and we still have terrible diseases and mental disorders that do not have cures. In the United States alone, 4.5 million people have Alzheimer’s, 1.5 million people have Parkinson’s, and 2.4 million people have schizophrenia. These disorders have debilitating effects on people. Currently, the outlook for someone who has one of these disorders is not good. However, there is something that is linked to these particular diseases and mental disorders - neurotransmitters.
Neurotransmitters are the chemicals that neurons (brain cells) use to communicate with each other. There are around 100 known neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and neurohormones. Of these 100 or so, a handful have been identified that are essential for most of our cognitive functions. Two of them, acetylcholine and dopamine, are related to the disorders mentioned earlier: Alzheimer’s - not enough acetylcholine, Parkinson’s – not enough dopamine, and schizophrenia – too much dopamine. Other disorders such as depression, ADHD, anxiety, and autism have also been linked to neurotransmitter functioning.
The fact that we know these disorders are related to specific chemical activity in the brain is a step in the right direction. These disorders might topple like dominos after we understand how neurotransmitters work. When we figure out acetylcholine, we could find a cure for Alzheimer’s. When we figure out dopamine, we could cure schizophrenia and Parkinson’s. When we figure out the other neurotransmitters, we could cure depression, ADHD, and many others. This isn’t just blind optimism about the future. Vaccines are currently being tested for treating Alzheimer’s. It’s very possible that these brain dominos will start falling within the next ten years.
Neurotransmitters are the chemicals that neurons (brain cells) use to communicate with each other. There are around 100 known neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and neurohormones. Of these 100 or so, a handful have been identified that are essential for most of our cognitive functions. Two of them, acetylcholine and dopamine, are related to the disorders mentioned earlier: Alzheimer’s - not enough acetylcholine, Parkinson’s – not enough dopamine, and schizophrenia – too much dopamine. Other disorders such as depression, ADHD, anxiety, and autism have also been linked to neurotransmitter functioning.
The fact that we know these disorders are related to specific chemical activity in the brain is a step in the right direction. These disorders might topple like dominos after we understand how neurotransmitters work. When we figure out acetylcholine, we could find a cure for Alzheimer’s. When we figure out dopamine, we could cure schizophrenia and Parkinson’s. When we figure out the other neurotransmitters, we could cure depression, ADHD, and many others. This isn’t just blind optimism about the future. Vaccines are currently being tested for treating Alzheimer’s. It’s very possible that these brain dominos will start falling within the next ten years.
The Placebo Pill
You’ve seen the commercials for everything from Prilosec to Viagra – the announcer says something about how the pill worked and the side effects you could get compared to a sugar pill. The sugar pill they refer to is the placebo they used in clinical trials. A placebo is used to determine if any improvement is due to the active drug or to the placebo effect.
The placebo effect can be powerful. The expectation that we are going to get better can lead to neurochemical changes in the immune system. These immune system changes can make a person get better for days, weeks, and even months. Other causes of placebo effects are that the disease has run its course or gone into remission. Whatever the reason, this bolsters the case that you should maintain a positive attitude when you get sick.
People often turn to alternative medicines as a result of being frustrated with traditional medicine or as a last resort. Sometimes people get better from alternative medicine treatments, at least for awhile. It’s possible that the treatment worked, that the disease ran its course, went into remission, or that the placebo effect caused it. To really determine whether an alternative medicine treatment is effective or not, it needs to be tested as rigorously as other treatments.
This brings up the topic that we need better designed research studies. In addition to a control group that includes a placebo, researchers should include a control group that receives no treatment at all. Then if the placebo group outperforms the no treatment group we could determine whether a placebo effect was present or not.
Our thoughts and expectations can definitely influence our bodies. We need to continue finding out which treatments work, which don’t, and what parts of the brain cause the placebo effect. In the future, doctors might incorporate placebos as part of their treatment regimens. We may even get to the point where we can synthesize a pill that triggers the placebo effect without a person needing to believe anything is supposed to happen.
The placebo effect can be powerful. The expectation that we are going to get better can lead to neurochemical changes in the immune system. These immune system changes can make a person get better for days, weeks, and even months. Other causes of placebo effects are that the disease has run its course or gone into remission. Whatever the reason, this bolsters the case that you should maintain a positive attitude when you get sick.
People often turn to alternative medicines as a result of being frustrated with traditional medicine or as a last resort. Sometimes people get better from alternative medicine treatments, at least for awhile. It’s possible that the treatment worked, that the disease ran its course, went into remission, or that the placebo effect caused it. To really determine whether an alternative medicine treatment is effective or not, it needs to be tested as rigorously as other treatments.
This brings up the topic that we need better designed research studies. In addition to a control group that includes a placebo, researchers should include a control group that receives no treatment at all. Then if the placebo group outperforms the no treatment group we could determine whether a placebo effect was present or not.
Our thoughts and expectations can definitely influence our bodies. We need to continue finding out which treatments work, which don’t, and what parts of the brain cause the placebo effect. In the future, doctors might incorporate placebos as part of their treatment regimens. We may even get to the point where we can synthesize a pill that triggers the placebo effect without a person needing to believe anything is supposed to happen.
How Do Dolphins Sleep?
We all know that dolphins are marine mammals. Since they are mammals, they need to be conscious in order to surface and get air. So, how do they sleep? EEG studies of dolphins show that they sleep one side of their brain at a time with the opposite eye closed. This is their way of getting rest and still making sure that they get air. They either drift near the water’s surface and come up every so often to get air or they rest at the surface with their blowhole exposed. Dolphins usually sleep at night for about 8 hours, but they only sleep for a couple hours at a time. They have very little REM sleep and do not go into deep sleep. Some dolphins can dive up to 900 feet and hold their breath for up to 30 minutes. However, they usually average 8 to 12 breaths a minute while they are active and 3 to 7 breaths a minute while they are resting.
Squishy Science
Do you think psychology is a science? Did you answer “yes” or “no” to this question? This is one of the first things I discuss with my students in my classes. Most people have preconceptions about psychology when they enter their first psychology class. They are not accustomed to examining their assumptions about the world. As such, they do not usually think about psychology as a science in the same way as physics or chemistry.
Any area of study, including psychology, can be considered scientific if it uses the scientific method to acquire information. So, psychology is a science WHEN it uses the scientific method. Sometimes psychology is called a “squishy” or “soft” science because it doesn’t have the laws and certainty of physical sciences such as physics and chemistry. There are many different factors that affect human behavior. Psychologists need to adhere to the scientific method as rigorously as investigators in other fields in order to make cause and effect statements about behavior.
When we educate ourselves about how to discern science from non-science, there will be no debate about whether psychology is a science. Psychology is as scientific as the methods used for testing its hypotheses, collecting data, and analyzing its results. Real psychology is scientific. The stuff that looks like psychology but isn’t scientific is an imposter in disguise. It’s our responsibility as consumers of information to know the difference and throw out the imposters.
Any area of study, including psychology, can be considered scientific if it uses the scientific method to acquire information. So, psychology is a science WHEN it uses the scientific method. Sometimes psychology is called a “squishy” or “soft” science because it doesn’t have the laws and certainty of physical sciences such as physics and chemistry. There are many different factors that affect human behavior. Psychologists need to adhere to the scientific method as rigorously as investigators in other fields in order to make cause and effect statements about behavior.
When we educate ourselves about how to discern science from non-science, there will be no debate about whether psychology is a science. Psychology is as scientific as the methods used for testing its hypotheses, collecting data, and analyzing its results. Real psychology is scientific. The stuff that looks like psychology but isn’t scientific is an imposter in disguise. It’s our responsibility as consumers of information to know the difference and throw out the imposters.
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