Nervous System Mastery: social beings, communication & even electromagnetic fields!
As we enter the festive season I thought I would unite social connection and communication with a sprinkling of neuroscience. It is not just in childhood that we need other humans to survive and thrive but throughout our lifespan. Whether it is in the office or boardroom, having a kick about in the park with family, a bite to eat with friends, collaborating with fellow side hustlers or even an interaction with a stranger these social connections impact our brains personalised, dynamic architecture. This of course has profound implications for society as a whole but also allows us to highlight the importance of psychological & physical safety, the power of self awareness and diversity. We need to also ensure when changes are implemented to enhance human development that they are embodied rather than just a cognitive, tick box exercise.
As we ebb and flow through life the brain is tuning and pruning adjusting to familiar patterns and people. Notice how we can all play certain roles in family or friend dynamics or professional group dynamics, well from an energy efficiency perspective this is good news for the brain. For example dendrites (derived from Greek meaning tree) the receiving part of a neuron become bushier, more efficient, ultimately contributing to sharpening the brains predictive capability. Yep all very helpful until we no longer want what we currently have or we realise that role keeps us small, irrelevant or unchallenged. It could be a career change, leaving an organisation, ending a relationship, confronting the same voice’s in meetings, establishing healthier boundaries with a colleague or family member. For change to take place those bushy dendrites contributing to ‘same old’ or ‘business as usual’ will need to become straggly, with other new connections forming and taking priority. This all takes its toll on the ‘energy kitty’ and probably why at a micro and macro level we tend to keep the status quo!
As social beings we have multiple ways to communicate: Speaking, silence, movement, signing, writing, avoiding, artistic expression the list goes on. But our brains also have many ways to communicate too. There is neuron to neuron where electricity and different chemicals are communicated. Such as glutamate, a neurotransmitter playing a key role in brain function, memory and learning. Or hormonal communication via the bloodstream. For example melatonin is a hormone the brain produces in response to darkness and supports our sleep / wake cycle, amongst other things. Or cortisol a hormone heavily involved in the stress response and blood sugar levels.
But it turns out there are even more magical ways our beautiful brain communicates. Such as the lesser known mechanism called ephatic coupling. Neurons are full of electric and magnetic interactions to power the cell, which in turn produces electric fields. Now these fields can be strong enough when precisely positioned to influence neighbouring cells! A relatable, albeit simplistic comparison could be made to seeing one human start to powerfully dance or sing and other humans follow: a contagion effect full of energy.
We are all full of energy, even if/ when we don’t feel energetic. Our social connections and communication options are so rich but yet we can easily forget to utilise them. Understanding our own individualised electrochemical wonder to play our part in this very demanding world is an ongoing learning process. Maybe dare to lean in to the complexity and even celebrate it!!