Finding Direction: The Wind Vane Chronicles

The October 23, 2006 issue of Newsweek had an interesting article in its Science section titled "How to Read a Face."  The page long article was about the emerging field of social neuroscience which is based on the idea that human brains are "wired to connect."

I found it fascinating and apropos to Christianity and the idea of agape love. The article told of different studies being done in which people's heart-rate variabilities and "skin conductivity" - two measures that, taken together, indicate the ebb and flow of emotional arousal - were done on pairs of people in conversations with each other. 

The first example given was of a therapist and his patient as they discussed the long questionable objective of the patient proposing to his long time girlfriend.  He finally joyfully did and the tests showed the therapist's and patient's heart-rates and emotional states ebbed and flowed perfectly in unison through the discussion.  The therapist was truly empathetic.

The researcher, Carl Marci, said, "It's no accident that we speak of being on the same wavelength with someone.  In a moment like that, you really are."

The article went on to say that in Daniel Goleman's book "Social Intelligence:  The New Science of Human Relationships," it's not just that laughter and bad moods are "contagious," empathizing with a friend, whether in grief or elation, can activate the very same circuits in our own brains as in our companion's. 

Scientists are also finding that "rejection hurts."  Not only in an emotional way, but it registers in the key area of the brain that responds to physical pain.  Now they are finding out that this pain-related brain activity is greater in people who lack strong social support and that such interactions over a life time have physical effects that affect our health.

The article goes on to talk about the calming effect of loved ones on one's stress hormones that eventually has dramatic positive effect on the cardio-vascular system.  Then it talks about the effect of more powerful people, such as one's boss at work or parent to child, on the lower runged members of the group and how good vibes, if you will, need to flow from the top down. 

This aspect of the studies can have valuable consequences for us all if heeded.   Next spring, medical students at Harvard will be taking an "empathy course," but maybe we all need to be taking empathy courses, you think?

To me, these findings correlate perfectly with Biblical precepts and admonitions for our own behavior and emotional responses to others.  We can, and apparently do, have a tremendous impact on each other when it comes to emotional and even physical effects of trauma and stresses.  The same is true of joy and happiness.  We who have loved ones and friends do much better than those of us who don't.

Thus, it seems to me, we should more than ever try to go out of our way to encourage those who are lonely and without the resources we have.  We should extend sympathy and try to practice empathy with those who are ill and in need in some way physically. 

In other words, we should all try to be loving, caring individuals to all we meet, beginning with those we are closest to, our familiies - parents, spouses and children.  But it should go way beyond that and extend to other relationships with friends and acquantances and those we meet in passing during our daily walks.  We should emulate Jesus who is our perfect model in such a walk.

That's my take on all of this anyway.  Any thoughts on your part?

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