"An ancient inner layer [of the brain], inherited from reptiles, was presumed to contain circuits for basic survival. The middle layer, the 'limbic system,' supposedly contained emotion circuitry inherited from mammals."
— Barrett, Lisa Feldman (b. 1963)
Date
December 31, 2016
Metaphor
"An ancient inner layer [of the brain], inherited from reptiles, was presumed to contain circuits for basic survival. The middle layer, the 'limbic system,' supposedly contained emotion circuitry inherited from mammals."
Metaphor in Context
This distinction emerged in the 1940s, when a doctor named Paul MacLean devised a model of the human brain with three layers. An ancient inner layer, inherited from reptiles, was presumed to contain circuits for basic survival. The middle layer, the "limbic system," supposedly contained emotion circuitry inherited from mammals. And the outermost layer was said to house rational thinking that is uniquely human. Dr. MacLean called this model "the triune brain."
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
Lisa Feldman Barrett, "How to Become a 'Superager'" The New York Times (December 31, 2016). <Link to NYTimes.com>
Date of Entry
01/04/2017
