Love Magic Works Free love spells that work fast
Mirror neurons and empathy constitute one of the most fascinating processes in neuroscience. That where the actions and emotions of others do not go unnoticed by us and through which we can be able to give an empathetic response. They are mechanisms that also have a social background and their implementation has a great influence on our daily relationships.
Let’s imagine for a moment sitting in the stalls of a theater. Let’s now visualize a group of excellent actors presenting us a specific work, executing precise body and gestural movements and intoning each word perfectly, thereby managing to infect us with endless emotions…
“See with the eyes of another, listen with the eyes of another and feel with the heart of another”
-Alfred Adler-
None of this would make sense if we did not have that biological basis capable of allowing us to activate a powerful range of sensations, feelings and emotions, such as fear, compassion, joy, worry, repulsion, happiness… Without all this, the “theater” of life itself would lack any significance.we would be like hollow entities, a civilization of hominids that would not even have been capable of developing any type of language.
Thus, we cannot be surprised that interest in mirror neurons and empathy is not limited only to the world of neuroscience or psychology, In recent decades, anthropology, pedagogy and art have also sought to understand this interior architecture a little more.those amazing mechanisms of which we still don’t know everything…
Mirror neurons and empathy, one of the greatest discoveries in neuroscience
Often, there is no shortage of scientists or psychologists who affirm with complete certainty that Mirror neurons will do for psychology what the discovery of DNA did for biology at the time.. It should be said that yes, knowing a little more about mirror neurons and empathy every day undoubtedly helps us to know ourselves a little better, however, we should not make the mistake of saying that it is these processes alone that have made us “ humans”.
What we are today is the result of countless processes together. Empathy facilitated our social and cultural evolution, but it was by no means the only determinant. With all this, we therefore want to make it clear that Regarding these dimensions of neuroscience, there are still some false myths that must be discarded.. It is not true, for example, that women have more mirror neurons than men; in fact, almost 20% of our neurons are of this type.
“You can only understand people if you feel them in you”
-John Steinbeck-
Besides, There are also no conclusive studies on the classic statement that people with autism spectrum disorder have a clear dysfunction in their mirror neurons. or that are characterized by having a total and “absolute” lack of empathy. It isn’t true. In reality, the real problem would be rather in the cognitive aspect, in that “theory of mind” where the person is capable of inferring information, carrying out a symbolic analysis and in turn executing a behavior consistent with and adjusted to the observed stimulus.
To understand these processes a little better, let’s look at more data about what science tells us so far about mirror neurons and empathy.
Our movements and the relationship with mirror neurons and empathy
This information is not well known and it is important that we remember it. Empathy would not exist without movement, without our actions, gestures, postures… In fact, contrary to what we may think, mirror neurons are not a specific type of neurons. They are actually cells of the pyramidal system related to movement. However, they have the particularity that they are activated not only by our movement, but also when we observe that of others.
This is what Dr. Giacomo Rizzolatti, an Italian neurophysiologist and professor at the University of Parma, discovered. who in the 90s investigated the motor movements of apes. He found it fascinating to see how there was a series of neuronal structures that reacted to what another member of the same or another species was doing.
This network of pyramidal neurons or mirror neurons are located in the inferior frontal gyrus and the inferior parietal cortex, and it is present in many species, not just us. Apes and our companion animals such as dogs or cats can also “empathize” with each other and with us.
Mirror neurons in relation to our evolution
We pointed out a moment ago that Mirror neurons and empathy are not that magic switch that at one point illuminated our consciousness to allow us to evolve as a species.. In reality it was a succession of infinite wonders, such as that hand-eye coordination that developed our symbolic consciousness, it was also that qualitative leap in the structures of our neck and skull that made articulate language possible…
Among all these amazing processes are those carried out by mirror neurons. They were the ones that mediated our ability to understand and interpret certain gestures, to associate them with a set of meanings and words. In this way they facilitated the social cohesion of the group.
Empathy, an essential cognitive process for our relationships
Mirror neurons allow us to empathize with those around us. They are that bridge that connects us, that links us to each other and that in turn makes it easier for us to experience three very basic processes:
On the other hand, and at this point, it would be interesting to reflect on an interesting idea proposed by the Yale University psychologist, Paul Bloom. Many of his articles have been quite controversial for defending that Empathy is currently of no use to us.. Behind this striking statement lies an obvious reality.
We have reached a point where we are all capable of feeling, seeing and perceiving what that person in front of me or who appears on my television experiences, but nevertheless, we have become accustomed to remaining impassive.
We have normalized the suffering of others, we are so immersed in our own microworlds that we are not able to go beyond our personal bubble… Therefore, Professor Singer urges us to be “effective and active altruists.” Mirror neurons and empathy make up that standard “package” in the programming of our brain that we all have. It is like the Windows of a computer when we buy it in a store, but we must know how to use it effectively, taking advantage of its full potential.
We must therefore learn to look at others, leaving prejudices aside. Nor is it useful for us to limit ourselves to “feeling the same as others feel”, it is necessary that we grasp their reality, but maintaining our own in order to be able to effectively accompany them in the process of help, support, and altruism.
Because at the end of the day, The feeling that is not accompanied by action is of no use. Thus, if we have gotten to where we are it is precisely because we have been pro-active, because we have cared about each member of our social group by understanding that together we advance in better conditions than alone.
Let us therefore remember what it is the true purpose of mirror neurons and empathy: favor our sociability, our subsistence, our connection with the environment.
Bibliographic references
Martín-Loeches, M. (2008): The mind of “Homo sapiens” The brain and human evolution. Madrid.Aguilar.Moya-Albiol, L.
Herrero, N.; Bernal, MC (2010): “Neural bases of empathy.” Rev Neurol; 50: 89-100.
Rivera, A. (2009): Archeology of language. Symbolic behavior in the Paleolithic. Akal Madrid.
Damasio, A. (2010): And the brain created man. Barcelona. Destino.Hoffman, ML (1992): “The contribution of empathy to justice and moral judgment.” In Eisenberg, N and J. Strayer (ed.). Empathy and its development. Bilbao: Desclée de Brouwer, pp.151-172
Coward, F. and Gamble, C. (2008): “Big brains, small worlds: material culture and the evolution of the mind.” Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 363, pp. 1969-197 9.
You might be interested…
Are You Ready to Discover Your Twin Flame?
Answer just a few simple questions and Psychic Jane will draw a picture of your twin flame in breathtaking detail:
