Dean Burnett is a neuroscientist at the University of Cardiff, a stand-up comedian, and a Guardian blogger. In his book, The Idiot Brain: A Neuroscientist Explains What your Head is Really Up To, he argues that our brains are fallible. The book covers several themes, but the most important themes are mind controls, mental health and fear. With respect, to the theme of mind controls Burnett explains that the brain’s control of the body sometimes results in irrational behaviours. For example, the neocortex, the part of the brain that deals with higher functions, is able to overrule basic human instincts that are essential for survival, which can result in extreme dieting and eating disorders. With regard to the theme of mental health, the author
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The major theme of the argument The Idiot Brain: A Neuroscientist Explains What your Head is Really Up To Is the mind controls theme. In this theme is explained by the author as the brain sometimes controls the body in an inappropriate/idiotic ways, therefore making it fallible. For example, due to the brain’s fallibility and inconsistency, some basic bodily functions can be overridden by different parts of the brain. In other to explain this theme the author gives two paradoxical examples: firstly the primitive brain overwriting the neocortex in motion sickness, the author argues that motion sickness only happens when we[human beings] use artificial means, such as cars and the brain interprets this as poison and acts to expel the poison out, by inducing vomiting. Secondly the author explains that the neocortex overrides the reptile/ primitive brain in certain situations such as food intake. The neocortex deals with high functions of the brain processes such as: attention, perception, and reasoning. The reptile brain is composed of the brainstem and the cerebellum, and deals with basic functions of the body …show more content…
Burnett argues that fear is important in terms of evolution (e.g., the fight or flight response) and escaping predator, but that phobias in modern times are irrational and based on the brain making connections that are not there and that these contribute to superstitions and conspiracies (apophenia). Phobias are extreme and debilitating fears, that might result in a physiological arousal (Phobias NHS Choices, 2016).Researchers and the author claim that fear can be learned. Andreas, Nearing, and Phelps (2007) argue that first-hand experience is not necessary for learned fear since it can be acquired by observing others. Likewise, Burnett suggests that parents have an influence on their children’s perceptions of fear. The author goes on to say that those with irrational beliefs (e.g., phobias, supernatural and conspiracies theories) have less brain activity in comparison sceptics. “In the supernatural believers, much less activity was seen in the right inferior temporal gyrus when compared to sceptics.”(Burnett, 2016, p.85)Brugger, Dowdy, and Graves (1994) suggest that the medial temporal lobe and the hippocampus are implicated in belief in superstitions. However, the author acknowledges that fear can be a positive thing. For some people, fear is associated with pleasure; the author describes these individuals as ‘adrenaline junkies’. According to Burnett, these paradoxes show how
The major theme of the argument The Idiot Brain: A Neuroscientist Explains What your Head is Really Up To Is the mind controls theme. In this theme is explained by the author as the brain sometimes controls the body in an inappropriate/idiotic ways, therefore making it fallible. For example, due to the brain’s fallibility and inconsistency, some basic bodily functions can be overridden by different parts of the brain. In other to explain this theme the author gives two paradoxical examples: firstly the primitive brain overwriting the neocortex in motion sickness, the author argues that motion sickness only happens when we[human beings] use artificial means, such as cars and the brain interprets this as poison and acts to expel the poison out, by inducing vomiting. Secondly the author explains that the neocortex overrides the reptile/ primitive brain in certain situations such as food intake. The neocortex deals with high functions of the brain processes such as: attention, perception, and reasoning. The reptile brain is composed of the brainstem and the cerebellum, and deals with basic functions of the body …show more content…
Burnett argues that fear is important in terms of evolution (e.g., the fight or flight response) and escaping predator, but that phobias in modern times are irrational and based on the brain making connections that are not there and that these contribute to superstitions and conspiracies (apophenia). Phobias are extreme and debilitating fears, that might result in a physiological arousal (Phobias NHS Choices, 2016).Researchers and the author claim that fear can be learned. Andreas, Nearing, and Phelps (2007) argue that first-hand experience is not necessary for learned fear since it can be acquired by observing others. Likewise, Burnett suggests that parents have an influence on their children’s perceptions of fear. The author goes on to say that those with irrational beliefs (e.g., phobias, supernatural and conspiracies theories) have less brain activity in comparison sceptics. “In the supernatural believers, much less activity was seen in the right inferior temporal gyrus when compared to sceptics.”(Burnett, 2016, p.85)Brugger, Dowdy, and Graves (1994) suggest that the medial temporal lobe and the hippocampus are implicated in belief in superstitions. However, the author acknowledges that fear can be a positive thing. For some people, fear is associated with pleasure; the author describes these individuals as ‘adrenaline junkies’. According to Burnett, these paradoxes show how