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S U B S C R I B E
Revenge of the Lizard Brain
By Ben Thomas on September 7, 2012
There’s a scene in Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas in which the writer,
high out of his mind on hallucinogens, watches a roomful of casino
patrons transform into giant lizards and lunge at each other in bloody
ADVER TISE MENT

2. combat. Under the veneer of civilization, the scene suggests, we’re all
still reptiles, just waiting for the moment to strike.
Strange as it seems, this drug-
fueled vision reflects a
biological theory that, back in
the ‘60s, looked like it might be
gaining some traction: Paul
MacLean’s infamous “Triune
Brain” theory, whose basic idea
is that every human brain
contains three independent
competing minds - the reptile, the early mammal, and the modern
primate.
Like the Fear & Loathing scene, the Triune Brain idea holds a certain
allegorical appeal: The primal lizard - a sort of ancestral trickster god -
lurking within each of us. But today, writers and speakers are dredging
up the corpse of this old theory, dressing it with some smart-sounding
jargon, and parading it around as if it’s scientific fact. This isn’t just
late-night-radio fringe stuff, either: it’s showing up at TED and in
Forbes.

3. To understand what it is, exactly, that these people are claiming, it
helps to know a few key points about MacLean’s - shall we say - unique
personal views on neuroanatomy. Take, for instance, the basal ganglia -
that bundle of neural structures near the base of the forebrain. They’re
crucial for learning and reinforcing habits, like nail-biting and
toothbrushing. Back in the 1960s, biologists thought the forebrains of
reptiles and birds were mainly composed of basal ganglia (they aren’t),
so MacLean decided to group these structures, along with the
brainstem, under the label “reptilian complex.” This “R-complex,”
MacLean claimed, was responsible for the “aggression, dominance,
territoriality, and ritual displays” of our distant reptilian ancestors.
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A DVE RT ISEM ENT

4. MacLean also noticed that some of the more complex neural structures
folded around the basal ganglia - such as the amygdala, the
hypothalamus and the cingulate cortex - play central roles in emotions
like disgust, nervousness, doubt and so on. So he figured these brain
areas must’ve arisen in the earliest mammals to cope with tasks like
family bonding and child-rearing. He gathered them under a heading
and slapped the label “paleomammalian complex” on it.
Finally, MacLean noted that the neocortex - the uppermost, outermost
layer of the brain - is found only in mammals, and is linked with “high-
level cognitive abilities” like abstract planning, tool-making, language,
and self-awareness. Thus, he termed it the “neomammalian complex.”
But MacLean wasn’t done. He went on to hypothesize that these three
“complexes” not only represented three distinct stages of brain
evolution, but remained three separate, semi-independent brains,
“[each] with its own special intelligence, its own subjectivity, its own
sense of time and space and its own memory." MacLean was saying, in
other words, that every human brain contains three independent
subjective consciousnesses.
All in all, a truly mind-blowing trip to lay on your friends. Problem is,
MacLean’s pet hypothesis doesn’t hold up under scrutiny. For example:

5. 1. Basal ganglia are found in the brains of the earliest jawed fish, which
means MacLean’s “reptile complex” originated long before the first
tetrapods wriggled onto land.
2. The earliest mammals already had well-formed neocortices, which
means at least some “high-level cognitive abilities” predate
mammals altogether.
3. Many reptiles exhibit “paleomammalian” behaviors such as familial
bonding and child-rearing, and many birds exhibit “neomammalian”
skills like tool-making, verbal comprehension and dialect
development.
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6. 4. In functional terms, a human brain doesn’t behave like a series of
separate “complexes,” but as a unified whole. Some neural networks
do inhibit others - but the shapes of those networks have nothing to
do with “reptilian” or “mammalian” layers.
How is it, then, that modern authors as educated as Seth Godin and
Rick Hanson (among others) are writing entire essays that present “the
lizard brain” as well-documented scientific fact? How does Godin keep
a straight face onstage as he tells us that “the lizard is a physical part of
your brain” and that “the reason we call wild animals ‘wild’ is because
they have lizard brains”?
It’s because the idea makes a weird kind of intuitive sense. We’re
bundles of instincts and inhibitions and desires that don’t fit neatly
together. It’d be comforting, in a way, if we could pin those conflicts on
little lizard brains - just name those ancient demons and drive ‘em out,
like we did in simpler times.
Whether we like it or not, though, the lizard is simply us. Every habit
and hangup, every dread and desire in our minds is dependent on
neural pathways that were once laid down by our personal experiences.
Like every other organism on earth, we carry the history of a long,
successful lineage in our genetic and biological makeup. The question
of what to do with those resources, though, isn’t predetermined by the
past. It’s up to you.

7. Image: Genesis12, modified by Ben Thomas
The views expressed are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.
A B O UT THE AU T H O R ( S )
Ben Thomas
Ben Thomas is an author, journalist, inventor and independent researcher who studies
consciousness and the brain. A lifelong lover of all things mysterious and unexplained, he
weaves tales from the frontiers of science into videos, podcasts and unique multimedia
events. Lots more of his work is available at http://the-connectome.com.
Recent Articles
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