Wireless emotions

As some of you may, or may not have noticed I took a break from writing. Not because I had nothing to say, but, because I was busy injecting new memories, experiences and knowledge into my brain.

So, here I am. Mimi 2.0, almost ready to walk into 2019 with a new mind and a whole new set of goals. Or am I?

I decided to shift focus in my writing in things I’ve found more interesting, like human behaviour, how we act, why we act, and, if our actions are based on triggers that we believe to be linked to different emotions that come from the messages being sent to our brains. To put it bluntly; if someone is feeling sad, are they actually feeling sad? Or, do they just think they are based on their mind associating someone’s death for example with being temporarily unhappy. Emotions are in most instances are said to be triggered automatically.

In the most prominent models on emotion there is no right or wrong answer. Most theories are flawed and based on assumptions with little or no evidence supporting them. There are however three main categories that are obvious and help us group emotions they are; physiological, neurological, and cognitive. These groups are backed by theories suggested by philosophers, psychologists, physicians, geologists… all sharing similarities but with no clear conclusion defining where emotion comes from and whether as individuals we have control over them.

Charles Darwin proposed emotions are adaptive and allow humans and animals to survive. William James and Carl Lange suggested that emotions occur as a result of physiological reactions to events and are dependant on how individuals interpret events. Walter Cannon suggested that physical and psychological experience of emotion happen at the same time and that one does not cause the other, when the thalamus sends a message to the brain in response to a stimulus, resulting in a physiological reaction.

Although most theories share common beliefs about the nature of emotion there is no right or wrong answer in whether they are within or beyond our control. Sure they are somewhat helpful, but it’s a matter of opinion based on an individual. Neuroscience is the only path to scientifically understanding how we feel, but, how we control our reactive state is up to us.

In most societies, humans responsible for genocide, wars and mass shootings are institutionalised with the view of some form of rehabilitation. They are kept away from ‘normal’ behaviour. ‘Normal’ behaviour defined by the social norms of the world that we live in today. These humans are classified by most people as bad. They are labelled villains, anarchists, monsters who don’t know how to control themselves, they have no control of their emotions. If you hadn’t noticed, the key word here is: control. Sure most cognitive beliefs are based around our reactions and awareness of emotional stimuli but how we define our reactions to these stimuli is up to us and what we’ve chosen to associate with a feeling.

So let’s put this into context. We all know that killing someone with intention for no reason is morally wrong and goes against common societal norms. But, what if from the day you’re born you’re locked in a room and surrounded by only beliefs that killing is right? The chances are you’ll walk out of that room without knowing you’ve done something wrong after taking someone else’s life.

A less drastic example can be shown in something as simple as religion. If your entire family is Catholic, all your friends are catholic and, you’ve been taken to a Catholic Church all your life, the chances are your beliefs will sit within Catholicism.

So let’s link that directly to emotion. Your brain triggers emotional stimuli when it encounters a situation. You’re inclined to react based on your interpretation of the information. This interpretation could be linked to social beliefs, previous memories or whatever you’ve chosen to link those stimuli to. Your feelings at that point then form a reaction. With a lot of talk of how we process and activate emotions, little time and research supports what happens before an emotion is activated and displayed to the outside world. This is a crucial step which many of us rule out but this is where the control occurs. Humans aren’t usually taught pre-activation so how can we be experts?

And so technology steps in again…

Wireless brain implants, wearables, sensors and various other devices are being made to help people track, read and even control their emotions. Links between brain mechanisms of pleasure and happiness have been conducted by psychologists like James Olds, Peter Milner and more recently Michael Bruchas. “We can target specific brain cells, turning them off and on, and so we’re able to really see how this is all wired up” Bruchas explains. This means that we may be able to soon create our own reality based on how we choose to feel rather than the outside world effecting us. There are obvious ethical arguments around this but like all significant changes no one said it’d be a walk in the park….

Bruchas and his colleagues already have begun testing the implant on mice, using the LED devices to manipulate neural circuits that are involved in social behaviours. This could help scientists better understand what goes on in the brain in disorders such as depression and anxiety.

Although there are obvious concerns around how technology can negatively impact our control on emotions, it’s a matter of opinion and if done correctly could revolutionise the way we are as humans for the better.

“Technology in the wrong hands always has potentially negative consequences,”Bruchas said.