Writing Assignment Week Two

Outline
 Introduction
 Structures of the brain and their functions
 Perception of the brain.
 Ted talk analysis.
 Conscious and unconscious.
 Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.
 Calming down methods.
 Conclusion

Introduction
This essay aims to explain the structures of the brain and their functions. In addition, my
personal views on the perception of the brain, a Ted talk and the conscious and unconscious are
to be included. Finally, the difference between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous
system as well as methods for calming down will be discussed.

Structures of the brain and their functions

The brain, also known as the command center of the body, is one of the most complex
organs in humans. There are many components and structures that build up the brain, but in this
essay, I will be focusing on a select few. In the following list, I will state in which part of the
brain they are located and their main function:
 Frontal cortex – Cerebral cortex; Thoughts, planning, movement
 Parietal cortex – Cerebral cortex; Touch, spatial memory
 Occipital cortex – Cerebral cortex; Vision
 Hypothalamus – Limbic system; Regulating bodily functions (homeostasis)
 Amygdala - Limbic system; Emotional center
 Hippocampus – Limbic system; Regulating memory

Perception of the brain

If I had to sum up my perception of the brain in one word, it would be contradictory. It is
evident that my mind and consciousness are part of the brain, which is part of my body and
therefore any effect or damage to it will affect my perception of reality and more. For example, if
a metal rod were to pierce my skull there would be drastic consequences. In addition, If I were to
have a brain transplant, it is likely that my perception of myself would change as well, due to my
body being a part of my identity and my idea of how I look and present myself to others, and it
could even lead to an identity change in a severe case.
However, despite all the scientific evidence against it, there is still a part of me that
sympathizes with Dualism, the idea that the mind and body are separate from each other. For me,
the idea that we are merely meat, and some electricity seems so grim and harsh. Which is why I
still hold the belief that there is some part of us that is not connected to the brain, or if it is we
have yet to find it. Perhaps, some energy that we don’t have the tools to find and measure or even
a soul. All I know is that on some animalistic level I still deny the existence of death and the
finality of it all, which is why I label my beliefs as contradicting.

Ted talk analysis

In this paragraph I will be analyzing the ted talk ‘Your brain hallucinates your conscious
reality’ by Anil Seth.1 In this Ted talk, Anil Seth talks about consciousness and how, according to
neurology and other sciences, we hallucinate our reality. Our reality is a combination of
neurological signals our brain perceives as well as our general idea of the how the world
functions. For example, in a study, a man sat down and put both of his hands on a table, then the
researcher hid the test subject’s left arm with a cardboard box, so he couldn’t see it, and then put
a fake rubber hand in front of his view, so that it would look like it was his left hand. Afterwards,
he used a brush to stroke both the real arm and the fake arm, after a while another researcher
used a fork to stab the fake arm, to which the test subject responded by pulling his real arm back.
Basically, the test subject believed, even if for a moment, that his left arm was being stabbed.
This study showed that what we perceive may not always be true and that our brains may
get tricked into hallucinating things that are not there and lead to a false sense of reality. This
shocked me as it opens a discussion on how easily our brain can be tricked. Furthermore, the
implications of such a vulnerability are terrifying. What if everything we are seeing is merely a
hallucination or a simulation, what if one day the technology to create such vivid realities falls
into the wrong hands? Overall, this Ted talk serves as a cautionary tale, “Be careful of what you
believe in, as it’s not always true.”

Conscious and unconscious

Consciousness and unconsciousness are two very complicated things. Our mind is
capable of extraordinary feats and is one of the most powerful things in the world. However, we
know very little about it and how it works. The only thing we can truly be certain about, even
though that is under question sometimes, is that consciousness is our awareness of the world and
us, and that unconsciousness is a collection of hidden processes, thoughts, and emotions we hide
within ourselves. Although, our unconsciousness is fascinating, I believe caution must be in
place when we investigate it, after all “curiosity didn't kill the cat ignorance did.” One day I hope
to learn more about the unconscious and myself, my only hope is that I do not trigger an
existential crisis while I do.

Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system

The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are opposite to each other, yet
they work together in harmony. The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the “fight or
fly” mechanism. It dilates your pupils, increases your heartbeat, relaxes your airways etc. It is
used in dangerous situations or in perceived danger when our survival instincts kick in. The
1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyu7v7nWzfo&ab_channel=TED
parasympathetic nervous system is used in “rest and digest” moments. Its main functions are to
contract our pupils, stimulate saliva, slow down our heart and so on. Therefore, it is used when
we have time to rest and eat in a peaceful environment.

Calming down methods

In this modern age, many people suffer from anxiety or stress, which has caused many
health professionals to try and create methods for winding down. For example, one such health
professional is Dr Allan Mandell, who recorded a video detailing two such methods for stress
relieve in his video titled “Reset your nervous system in 30 seconds.”2 While I will admit, his
methods did seem to have an effect on me, I contribute that more to the placebo effect, than to
actual change in the nervous system, due to a lack of evidence.
Personally, I have other methods I employ when I’m feeling anxious or under stress. For
instance, one such method is rubbing my heart with my hand, the idea behind it, is that I relax
my heart rate, which in turn slows down my biological processes and calms me down. In
addition, I employ breathing exercises, also trying to calm down my body and relieve stress.
Finally, although not recommended and very unhealthy, If I get extremely stressed or anxious, I
sometimes resort to smoking. Cutting off oxygen to my body and my brain is a very unhealthy
habit, but it is one that relieves a lot of stress, and one that I’m also trying to quit for the past
month.

Conclusion
In conclusion, this two and half page essay, serves as a personal opinion and a reflection on
certain topics. I hope I have been able to answer all the questions satisfactorily and I await
feedback.

2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpHy6hzNDI4&ab_channel=motivationaldoc