9 Although I do not think, I am

Brain science has become one of the hottest fields since the end of the last century, making popular many of the brilliant scientists in the field. One of them is Dr. Antonio Damasio, an American brain neurologist. His concern is yet to be related to the function of the pineal gland, focusing mostly on the prefrontal cortex, which can be regarded as the army headquarters implementing the order from the commander-in-chief, the pineal gland.

When a stimulus, a signal, comes from outside, our body perceives and translates it and make a decision to respond to it. For example, a sign noticing a very dangerous animal approaching will make our body ready to fight or flight.

What occurs in our brain in such process? Had René Descartes been asked so, he would have probably answered, “All the experiences and knowledge were combined by our reason in our brain to make the best decision. He was the one who begin to persuade us that we think, therefore we are.

However, 350 years since, Dr. Damasio puts out different story. He says, if we are to ‘think’ all of the factors related to making the best decision, that it, to process all the information from our direct and indirect experiences, we will need too much energy and time. He adds that, for this reason, our body chooses an alternative shortcut process.

This shortcut bypasses the reason, the thinking process of our brain, connecting directly to our emotion, being closer to the so-called ‘instinct’. Damasio’s way of explaining our brain response is called ‘somatic marker hypothesis.’

Suppose you have been bitten badly by a dog in your childhood, but you do not remember it. And now you, as a grown-up, see a big dog across the street. You will make an instant turn to avoid the dog, instead of calculating the chance of that dog biting and injuring you and comparing it to the loss you will have by making a turnaround there. That is because our brain produces a kind of a somatic marker, instantly arousing fear in us and changing our bodily states fit for fight or flight, Damasio explains.

Somatic marker is produced and acts at the area called the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, VMPFC, as is shown in the above picture. This is a part of our so-called primitive brain, which had existed since the time when the earth knew only very simple kind of animal organisms, well before we became evolved into human beings. In other words, all the living creatures, from a very simple living organism to a much complicated animal like a human being, shares such a method of information-processing. It will enable a much faster and more efficient way of decision making.

Therefore, we can be even if we do not think. Thinking can even hamper our instant response to a stimulus in a rapidly changing environment.

Somatic marker hypothesis is one of the most widely accepted explanations of the way our body responds to numerous stimuli from outside. It is one of the rare research outcomes providing insights to the invisible process of decision making within our brain. Can the pineal gland be the next candidate for an object of such a persuasive research?