1 Why do we behave in a certain way? Is the brain in charge of our actions?

2 Are we our brain?

3 References
3.1 Related Post
The relationship between brain and behavior seems to be the successor of the famous Cartesian
mind-body dualism, where the brain is the physical or biological component and behavior the
mental or psychological aspect.

Despite its ancient origin, the body-mind dichotomy continues to be an unresolved problem
nowadays. Both concepts have been kept apart as if they were separate and distinct.

However, the idea that the mind and body function separatelyturns out to be animpediment to
scientific progress, since mind and body are related in a more complex way than one might
imagine.

Why do we behave in a certain way? Is the brain in charge of our actions?

Try to answer the following question:

What is our brain’s ultimate goal?

Many people will respond:”to perceive, think, reason, or learn.”Even if it is true that the brain
performs such tasks, all of them serve as the basis for an ultimate purpose: to directbehavior. For
example, through our perception we can know what is happening in our environment, thereby
triggering more useful and adaptive behaviors.

The goal, then, is to relate specificbrain events to certain behaviors. However, everything is not so
simple. For example, the same behavior can be triggered by different physiological mechanisms:
we can drink a beer because we are thirsty or because we feel stressed and want to take advantage
of its intoxicating effect.

Are we our brain?

Now, try to answer the following question:

If you could transplant Einstein’s brain into your body, would you think and talk like him? Would
you behave exactly like him? Would you have won the Nobel Prize in Physics?

What if Mozart’s brain was transplanted into your body? Would have you composed the same
number of pieces as he did?

The first thing we tend to think is that if we had the brain of a genius, we would be the genius,
since we think the brain is responsible for our behavior. However, this matterbecomes increasingly
complicated.

We must not forget that the brain is flexible and has the ability to change. This organ evolves
throughout life and adapts to the changing environment. Thus, the relationship between brain and
behavior is modulated by different factors:

The environment: our environmental surroundingsinfluenceour brain and behavior. For example,
the environment modulates the development of different skills. Therefore, language acquisition
can vary for a child coming from a rural areato another from an urban area (because the verbal
stimulation that each one receives is different).
Another example is that of enrichedenvironments. It is scientifically proven that individuals raised
in enriched environments have a greater number of synaptic connections among neurons (since an
enriched environment providesindividuals with possibilities for action and increases cognitive and
sensory stimulation) than those in impoverished environments.

Additionally, there are environmental factors that can influence the development of the nervous
system. One example is malnutrition in early life.

Therefore, it is demonstrated that our brain can undergo changes due to the environment, therefore
influencing future behaviors.

Sociocultural and historical aspects: returning to the example mentioned earlier on brain
transplant, our behaviors might have been very different from those of geniuses in their time. We
would have quickly adapted to our socio-cultural and historical context, undoubtedly different
from that of Einstein and Mozart.
Phylogeny: the human brain hasa phylogenetic history, that is, inherited species characteristics.
Thus, in the human brain, three distinct layers can be distinguished: a deep or reptilian layer (the
oldest phylogenetic layer), an intermediate or limbic layer, and an outer or neocortex layer (which
distinguishes humans from other animals). Thus, as we evolve as a species, the brain undergoes
changes to meet the specific demands of the environment.
Genetics:the development of our brain is governed by gene expression. To a certain degree,it can
create variations such as different sensitivities to reward, different probabilities of emitting
behaviors, etc. On the other hand, if there is a mutation in the genes, the process will vary and may
cause different disorders.
Ontogeny: refers to the development of the individual and to what we have learned throughout
life. Our current behavior is determined by past experiences. These are stored in our memory and
serve as a guide to emit certain behaviors and not others. One example is that, if we have
experienced pleasure with an activity in the past, we tend to repeat it.
Another aspect that reinforcesthe brain-behavior relationship is the behavioral changes observed
after brain injury. In fact, neuroscience is responsible forseeking linksbetween specific brain
structures and certain behaviors, mainly through the observation of brain-injured individuals.
Thus, neuroimaging techniques are used to determine the lesion site and the neuropsychological
profile of the individual is examined. If the pattern is repeated in a large number of patients, it can
be said that a specific brain area is associated with the impaired function.

In short, all this indicates that there is a complex and interdependent relationship between the
brain and behavior. The brain receives information and internal and external influences that enable
the most appropriate behaviors to be triggered at any time. In addition, our behavior has
environmental consequences, which can be experienced as positive or negative for us. These
consequences make us learn and reduce the likelihood that that behavior will occur again in the
future. Such learning outcomesend up producing brain changes, in particularinbrain synaptic
connections.

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