Is Human Emotion Hard Wired in the Brain - Essay Example

 Since people appear to seek religious experiences in order to reduce the emotions of stress and depression, it provides a definite connection between emotion and brain activity. One of the most fundamental needs man has is the need for spirituality or religion; as a result, the more s/he focuses on a particular belief, the more real it becomes because it stimulates certain neural circuits in the brain. I would argue that emotion might function in exactly the same way and may be caused by the stimulation of certain neural circuits in the brain.

Joseph Le Doux:

               I have investigated human emotions and it is my conclusion that emotions exist because they develop out of complex neural systems existing in the human brain. Contrary to the arguments that the brain is logical, I would argue that the brain is emotional because the emotion of fear at least, does originate in the brain According to my research which builds upon the research of others, fear in particular, the human body begins to show the external physical signs of fear such as sweaty palms, muscle tension, and a queasy stomach even before the individual is consciously aware of fear. This suggests definitively that the emotional response of fear is hard-wired into the brain so that with the onset of the emotion the external symptoms manifest themselves.

Against:

A member of the public:

               The proposition that the brain is linked to emotion does not appear to have much merit. Emotions in individuals are so wide-ranging; moreover, people tend to respond differently to the same kind of events - such as one person responding with fear and another responding with anger to the same incident. Twins tend to respond differently to emotion, even age differently and I believe that there would be greater levels of similarity between individuals in the way they respond to specific events if emotions were hard-wired. I would cite the example of damage to the parietal lobe in the brain which causes difficulties with mathematics and language; something which can be directly and outwardly observed, with most individuals who suffer such damage being similarly afflicted. But where individuals’ emotions are concerned, they show too many nuances of difference in the way they display emotion or don’t display emotion where it could be expected. This strongly suggests to me that emotions and the way an individual responds emotionally may be determined and governed by the way that a person is raised; i.e, the family environment and early childhood experiences.

Waterfall advocate:

               Emotions are not hard-wired into the brain. They are not a neurological response that originates in the brain and this can be explained by looking at emotions themselves and tracing them back to where they could originate from (www.wanterfall.com). Applying the Waterfall chart, it must be noted that emotion begins when a person wants something. It is the wanting that directly leads to emotion because wanting something and getting it would produce happiness while wanting something and not getting in would generate sadness. Similarly,  wanting something and anticipating that there will be trouble that causes pain and difficulty would produce fear. As a result, I would argue that it is the external aspect of wanting that causes emotions rather than the emotions being hard-wired into the brain.