Robert Sapolsky on the Limbic System (por StanfordUniversity)
- olfactory bulb takes up 40% of a rodent brain’s projections
- rhine encephalon — originally viewed as to do with olfaction in all species
- gathers whatever sense-data pertains to emotions
- Paul McLean’s triune brain (phylogenetic conservation): hypothalamus⊕pituitary⊕brainstem⊕midbrain⊕thyroid⊕pancreas⊕heart (robotic, boring—until it goes wrong) + the limbic system (mostly a mammalian invention: birds, reptiles, fish have less complex limbic systems) ⊕ emotional complexity + cortex (gleaming analytical machine of cognitive expertise — greatly expanded in vertebrates, in mammals, in primates, in us — cortex tied to limbic system, not independent)
- decisions made under duress
- think about your own mortality (kicking out “CRH”)
- so limbic influences cortex and vice versa
- we are “a fancy species”
- Odene’s curse — lose the capacity for automatic breathing (you die of sleep deprivation)
- Antonio DiMasio, Descartes’ Error
- James Pabes
- the limbic regions compete to control the hypothalamus (they can shush each other up)
- edge/network/synaptic distance to the hypothalamus
- every sense has to go through ge;3 synapses to tell the limbic system anything—except olfaction can hop 1.
- olfaction takes up only 5% of our brain
- grey matter (nuclei) vs white matter (axon cables wrapped in myelin)
- amygdala, hippocampus, septum, mammilary bodies, hypothalamus, thalamus, prefrontal cortex
- frontal cortex: where am I being touched? which note are you playing? how do I do long division? which limb do I want to move? plus long-term planning, gratification postponement, emotional regulation, impulse control
- frontal cortex is most recently evolved, relatively largest in humans, not fully mylenated until age 25;size of prefrontal cortex in primates grows as size of typical social group
- amygdala tells you to be afraid and pings the hippocampus: “Hey, remember to be afraid of this in future”
98 year old dobri dobrev, a man who lost his hearing in the second world war, walks 10 kilometers from his village in his homemade clothes and leather shoes to the city of sofia, where he spends the day begging for money.
though a well recognized fixture around several of the city’s chruches, known for his prostrations of thanks to all donors, it was only recently discovered that he has donated every penny he has collected — over 40,000 euros — towards the restoration of decaying bulgarian monasteries and churches and the utility bills of orphanages, living entirely off his monthly state pension of 80 euros and the kindness of others.
this is why theres hope in the world
the feels <3
Maya Angelou reads her wonderful children’s poem Life Doesn’t Frighten Me, illustrated by Basquiat.
For those of you who criticize Janelle’s signature monochromatic look.
From her speech on “Black Girls Rock”:
“When I started my music career, I was a maid. I used to clean houses. My mother was a proud janitor. My stepfather, who raised me like his very own, worked at the post office and my father was a trashman. They all wore uniforms and that’s why I stand here today, in my black and white, and I wear my uniform to honor them.
This is a reminder that I have work to do. I have people to uplift. I have people to inspire. And today, I wear my uniform proudly as a Cover Girl. I want to be clear, young girls, I didn’t have to change who I was to become a Cover Girl. I didn’t have to become perfect because I’ve learned throughout my journey that perfection is the enemy of greatness.
Embrace what makes you unique, even if it makes others uncomfortable.” - Janelle Monáeshe is the coolest fucking chick
