Second semester of junior year started just a few weeks ago, January 3rd. During the first week we were introduced to a new topic that was related to the nervous system and how people react to certain situations they were put in. Along with the neurological science behind a teenagers brain. The first reading we were introduced to was “The Pleasure and Pain of Social Life”. In this reading it explains the neuroscience of social pain and pleasure and how we describe it similarly to physical pain. In reading this article, something that has struck me that has made me understand the neurological science was when someone is excluded from a social group or social event the dACC (dorsal anterior cingulate cortex) reacts to it. Being that the dACC is the region associated with the distress of physical pain. The reason that people react that way is because the connections with mammalians. They are unable to take care of themselves at birth and require to stay connected with their caregivers to provide them with the food and water and increase their chances of survival. So people have a need to connect with others to increase their ‘survival’. Another activity that we did was watching a video of why teenagers have an evolutionary advantage. We had to take visual notes of the video and something that caught my attention was the reason why teenagers actions are connected to risk taking. The reason being that at the neutral ‘bored’ state, dopamine levels are low at the striatum but when we experience something new, dopamine levels rise. It does not only cause risk taking but makes teenagers adapt faster to the environment, retain information faster than adults and are open to trying new things.
A way that I can connect to what I am learning in class to real life, or in this case my life is that I am learning a new language that is Korean. Since I am at a young age I catch on quickly and I am able to keep interest in learning the language. So far what I have learned has kept me intrigued with how the nervous system functions and I am looking forward to learning more.
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