The Circuitry of Violence

 I was fascinated by a recent lecture I listened to on The Jordan Harbinger Show (I listen on Spotify) by Dr. Douglas Fields.  Dr. Fields is a world renowned neuroscientist who studies the brain, and why we react the way we do.  It's a little over my head to try to explain the circuitry of the brain, so I won't even attempt that.  Instead, I'll give you an overview of what he talked about, and if it sounds interesting, you can look him up or check out one of his several interesting books.  I'm intrigued by Why We Snap.

Douglas says we are all wired for violence, humans and animals.  What would make someone risk life and limb?  Can we diffuse that behavior?  We often hear that a mass murderer was "just the boy next door."  Anyone can snap.  Fields identifies 9 specific neurocircuitry behaviors that trigger rage.  Some of the most obvious are insult, protection of family or tribe, and environmental(protecting your environment, like your home).  

Fields is a slight man, maybe 130 pounds, 56 years old, with no martial arts training, yet when he was traveling with his 17 year old daughter in Barcelona and was attacked by a gang of pick pocketers, he reacted instantly.  He was protecting himself and his daughter, and he pinned the robber to the ground!  Had he identified the trigger immediately, he may not have reacted as he did.  He was risking life and limb for a wallet, something he surely would not have done had he had time to recognize what he was doing.

Who has not lost self-control?  We all wish to believe that we are in control of our behaviors and actions, but the fact is, that sometimes we are not.  One of the 9 triggers that Dr. Fields identifies can unleash an automatic and complex program for violence, destruction or even death, all of it unconscious.  Rage explodes without warning, overpowering judgement and fear, resulting in violence.  This human response has been vital to our survival, yet it puts your life at risk.  These behaviors are hard wired in our brain.  The question is, what triggers this deadly switch for violence and killing? To find out more about the circuitry of violence and rage and how to diffuse it, check out Dr. Douglas Fields.