In this very readable account, neuroscience professor Donald Pfaff makes a compelling argument that healthy human beings come into the world pre-wired for good behavior, to abide by The Golden Rule. That wiring can be compromised however by adverse consequences of the surrounding environment.

1. The Enchanted Loom
Teasing sturdy threads from
neuroscience masterworks

2. Teasing 10 threads
from
Donald Pfaff’s…

3. Thread 1:
Some rules of behavior are universally embedded
in the human brain – we are “wired for good
behavior.”
(pg. 2)

4. Thread 2:
I propose that we
have an inherent
capacity for fair
play. I say we are
wired for recip-
rocity.
(pg. 206)

5. Thread 3:
The amygdala can be viewed not as a “fear
center,” but as a crucial node in the fear
circuitry. However,
our more complex
fearful thoughts
arise from the infor-
mation-processing
power of our
cerebral cortex.
(pg. 28)

6. Thread 4:
The two sides of the prefrontal cortex support
opposite states of mind. Higher activity in the
left prefrontal cortex produces a sense of well-
being; higher
activity on
the right is
more often
associated
with misery.
(pg. 47)

7. Thread 5:
Stress hormones cripple the parts of the brain
that shut them off, so we have a vicious circle
that causes them to soar. This vicious circle
strengthens
with age;
worse, it
may even
acceler-
ate aging.
(pg. 58)

8. Thread 6:
The amygdala is a brain structure that keeps
emerging as a key to upholding The Golden Rule.
(pg. 112)

9. Thread 7:
“War is in fact one of the most rigidly
‘gendered’ activities known to humankind.”
The incidence of
murder of males
by unrelated males
closely parallels
testosterone con-
centration in a
man’s bloodstream.
(pg. 126)

10. Thread 8:
Risk factors for violence include poverty during
childhood, trouble during early school years,
harsh and erratic
parental discipline,
physical abuse and
neglect, humiliation,
lack of parental
nurturance and
a large family.
(pg. 147)

11. Thread 9:
Earliest interventions into the lives of children
most at risk are the most effective.
(pg. 155)

12. Thread 10:
The situation regarding the violence against
women looks so gloomy that it may be appro-
priate to consider
quite drastic
measures:
chemical
castration
with LHRH
to reduce
testosterone.
(pg. 157)

13. Thread 11:
Infancy and adolescence are particularly
sensitive periods when environmental factors
can produce
their most
crucial effects.
(pg. 180)

14. Image Credits:
Title Page: http://www.rappler.com/science-nature/23193-personality-traits-brain-scans
Slide 3 - http://www.babysitting.academy/your-preschool-teacher-wants-you-to-know/
Slide 12 - https://vitalanimal.com/chemical-castration/
Slide 2 - http://www2.rockefeller.edu/research/faculty/labheads/DonaldPfaff/
Slide 6 - http://willmarre.com/answer-for-women-in-leadership/
Slide 5 - http://bit.ly/1yDotfE
Slide 11 - https://www.verywell.com/cost-of-daycare-616847
Slide 10 - http://www.multiplemayhemmamma.com/2012/07/my-kids-your-discipline.html
Slide 14 - http://www.rappler.com/science-nature/23193-personality-traits-brain-scans
Slide 9 - https://criminal.attorneywdkickham.com/voluntary-manslaughter.html
Slide 8 - http://www.picofunny.com/funny/amygdala-anxiety-funny-8e162.html
Slide 7 - https://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-09-stress.html
Slide 4 - https://www.deviantart.com/art/Swirl-139960366
Slide 13 - http://cooperativeparentingblog.com/

15. Mark Brady, PhD
TheEnchantedLoom@gmail.com
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