Mirror Mirror Neuron on the Wall
Posted on May 29, 2015 by David Hester, One of Thousands of ADD ADHD Coaches on Noomii.
Read about how mirror neurons shape how we feel about other people’s emotions.
Who is the most empathetic and fastest learning animal of them all? The short answer is human beings. Have you ever watched your favorite sporting event, and watch your favorite player go down with an injury? The television coverage replay’s the injury multiple times, just in case you didn’t cringe enough the first three times. That feeling which you have when watching a horrendous injury, a friend getting hit in the belly or even passing a homeless person on the street. Feeling something that you just can’t explain, these are products of mirror neurons.
Mirror neurons fire when we engage in activities. The most interesting aspect of mirror neurons is what happens when an action of another is observed and then mirror neurons of the onlooker fires. “Significant results of brain imaging studies was the demonstration that the presentation of emotional stimuli such as disgust or pain elicits, in the observer, the activations, of the same cortical regions that become active when the individual feels the same emotions” (2008, p.721).
To put it plainly your brain takes the activities of others and allows you to feel it, talk about virtual reality. Thankfully, our sensory neurons quickly jump in and let us know it’s okay, that didn’t happen to you, but now you know how it feels. Mirror neurons play a significant role in our overall development, brain functioning and contribute to our differences and similarities as a species. Mirror neurons are essential to learning complex processes and empathizing with others.
Learned behaviors and culture are what separates us from other species. Mirror neurons are the basis of emulation. Squire (2008) explains mirror neurons in the premotor cortex; the supplementary motor area, the primary somatosensory cortex and the inferior parietal cortex help us to learn new tasks.
The human brain is built collaboration and empathy. How else would our ancient tribes, survive the incredibly challenging terrain of the Serengeti. We need each other, to learn, to live, to experience. So go out and take note of what happens to you when you watch others. Examine your experience when you see a couple embracing (a good idea is to keep your gaze short, don’t want to be creepy). Use the neuronal inspiration of that person running down the street as your fuel to move more. Smile at that passing person in the halls, or elevator, it’s contagious, and they can’t help but to catch it. Click here for a perfect explanation of how relevant mirror neurons are to the foundation of human civilization by Neuroscientist Vilayanur Ramachandran. The empathy that we feel for others is not imaginary, it has a basis in physical design.
Reference:
Squire, L. R., Berg, D., Bloom, F. E., Du, L. S., Ghosh, A., & Spitzer, N. C. (2008). Fundamental Neuroscience. Burlington: Elsevier.
