Saturday, September 08, 2012

Lizard brain theory debunked

Here is another debunked theory of the mind:
Paul MacLean’s infamous “Triune Brain” theory, whose basic idea is that every human brain contains three independent competing minds – the reptile, the early mammal, and the modern primate. ...

How is it, then, that modern authors as educated as Seth Godin and Rick Hanson (among others) are writing entire essays that present “the lizard brain” as well-documented scientific fact? How does Godin keep a straight face onstage as he tells us that “the lizard is a physical part of your brain” and that “the reason we call wild animals ‘wild’ is because they have lizard brains”?
I have had people try to convince me of this theory. They say that it is scientifically proven, and would be obvious even if it were not proven.

I need to make a list of all the brain theories that are wrong, and yet widely believed anyway.

Update: Here is another wrong brain theory:
Does the Vagina Have a Consciousness?

Naomi Wolf, the famous feminist author and activist, asks that precise question in her new book, Vagina: A New Biography. ...

Among neuroscientists, howlers such as “dopamine is the ultimate feminist chemical in the female brain”, oxytocin “is women’s emotional superpower” and the vagina is “not only coextensive with the female brain but also is part of the female soul” have been making the rounds of social media.

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