Eye on Faith

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Brains and flowers: The science of love

When John proclaimed that “God is love,” he was talking agape rather than eros, philia or storge.

For those whose ancient Greek is a bit rusty, agape refers to unconditional love, eros to romantic love, philia to affectionate love, and storge to familial love. Although agape seems to be somewhat unfathomable, science has

been making inroads into the neurochemical nature of eros, philia and storge.

According to Syracuse University Professor Stephanie Ortigue, “falling in love” (eros) is neurochemically akin to ingesting cocaine. She reports that when a Romeo spots a Juliet across a crowded room, “12 areas of the brain work in tandem to release euphoria-inducing chemicals such as dopamine, oxytocin, adrenaline and vasopressin.” This same eros feeling “affects sophisticated mental functions, such as mental representation, metaphors and body image.”

Although this sounds very brain-oriented, Ortigue does not discount the heart’s role in love entirely. She explains that the brain and heart are related “because the complex concept of love is formed by both bottom-up and top-down processes from the brain to the heart and vice versa.” This is why the heart seems to leap when that special someone comes a knocking.

Professor Lucy Brown from New York City’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine is also investigating the lure of eros. By analyzing MRI brain scans of college students “in the throes of new love,” Brown discovered that the caudate area of the brain (the part associated with cravings) is activated during eros states. The ventral tegmental area of the brain (which produces dopamine) also becomes activated. Scientists believe that the caudate signals the ventral tegmental for more and more dopamine in order to retain that exciting “in love” feeling. This eros cycle has been compared to those brain processes that are linked with drug addiction.

Ortigue reports that eros (passionate) and storge (familial) love involve different combinations of brain areas. Eros is “sparked by the reward part of the brain,” and storge involves the middle brain. CNN Health reports: “Brains in love and brains in lust don’t look too much alike.”

Resources

http://esciencenews.com/articles/2010/10/22/falling.love.more.scientific.you.think.according.syracuse.university.professor

http://articles.cnn.com/2007-02-14/health/love.science_1_scans-caudate-amygdala?_s=PM:HEALTH

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+4%3A8&version=NIV

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_(symbol)

Monday, February 13, 2012

Green-eyed Monster: Guarding the gates of love

Jealousy and Flirtation (by Haynes King)

Somewhat like Cerberus, the three-headed (at least) hound from Hades, the Green-eyed Monster (Jealousy) is said by some to be guarding the gates of love.

Jealousy has been a mysterious “monster” for a long long time. Why if it weren’t for Shakespeare, we might not even know about the green-eyed part. A dialogue between Iago and his master Othello in Othello, Act 3 goes like this: “Iago – O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-ey’d monster, which doth mock the meat it feeds on... what damned minutes tells he o’er who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves! Othello: O misery!”

Portia from The Merchant of Venice also refers to “green-eyed jealousy.” It was thought back in Elizabethan times that emotions had their corresponding colors and bodily fluids (“humors”). Enotes.com tells us that the color green was paired with both jealousy and envy - possibly because it was also associated with bile.

Modern-day theories about jealousy continue to abound. In her article, The Evolution of Jealousy, Christine R. Harris states: “In various studies, jealousy is often ranked among the top three motives for nonaccidental homicides where motive is known…” Needless to say, it has “captured the attention of psychologists, who have used a variety of theoretical approaches in their pursuit of scientific understanding.” She reports in 2004: “For some years now, a small but persistent group of investigators has attempted to uncover the nature and origin of this painful and dangerous counterpart of romantic love.”

Just the other day, Live Science reported on a study which focuses upon the ravages of jealousy to “innocent third parties.” Study researcher Jon Maner, a Florida State University psychologist, explains: “Love, arguably the most positive of human emotions, also comes with a dark side.” His team studied 130 people in long-term relationships and found that “to protect their own commitment to their partner, people would lash out at potential threats.”

Potential, mind you… All it would often take was the possibility of an attractive, available third party to be lurking in the wings – and the Green-eyed Monster was already growling…

Resources

http://www.livescience.com/18194-love-dark-side-jealousy.html

http://www.theoi.com/Ther/KuonKerberos.html

http://www.enotes.com/shakespeare-quotes/o-beware-my-lord-jealousy

http://www.bec.ucla.edu/papers/Harris_4-26-04.pdf

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Nagging: On par with adultery?

(Raining cats, dogs and misery)

Although there is no specific Commandment about nagging,

perhaps there should be. With modernized inspiration from

Proverbs 27:15, it could sound something like this: Husbands

and wives alike, be not akin to the continual dripping of rain.

Elizabeth Bernstein of The Wall Street Journal describes

nagging as “the interaction in which one person repeatedly

makes a request, the other person repeatedly ignores it and

both become increasingly annoyed.” In her article, Meet the Marriage Killer, she warns that nagging is “more common than adultery and potentially as toxic.” Yet couples seem to grapple with it incessantly… Why?

Bernstein draws upon the wisdom of Scott Wetzler - Vice Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at New York’s Montefiore Medical Center – when attempting to answer this question. Wetzler explains that people nag due to a belief that they won’t get what they want if they just ask once or twice. Ironically, repeated asking

seems to foster even more resistance to the requests.

This push-pull dynamic intensifies when the nagger is “an extremely organized, obsessive or anxious person,” and the one being nagged is “laid back and often does things at the last minute.” According to Dr. Howard Markham - Co-Director of The Center for Marital and Family Studies at the University of Denver - the problem compounds when “couples start fighting about the nagging rather than talking about the issue at the root of the nagging.”

Although Proverbs focuses upon the annoying traits of a “quarrelsome wife” - nagging is by no means a

singularly-female attribute. Plus, the resistance of whomever is being nagged can contribute to the overall contentiousness every bit as much as the nagging itself.

Resources

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203806504577180811554468728.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_LeadStoryNA#articleTabs%3Darticle

http://bible.cc/proverbs/27-15.htm

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Eight: Not always great?

It seems that folks can be so preoccupied with the dangers of 666 that they don’t even get to contemplate the sometimes-sorry fate of eight.

It’s not that eight is never great. The Chinese consider it to be one of the luckiest of numbers, especially insofar as financial abundance is concerned. In fact, the Chinese word for “eight” (Pinyan: ba) sounds very much like the Chinese word for “prosper” or “wealth” (Pinyan: fa). However, these aren’t just pennies from heaven. Carmen Lynne, in her video Power & the Number 8 in Numerology, explains that because eight is associated with the planet Saturn, those under its influence have to work hard for their wealth.

Eight is associated with good fortune in many other cultures, as well. Ridingthebeast.com points out that the configuration of eight often denotes infinity and perfection. The Egyptians viewed it as a symbol of balance and cosmic order. It is used as a “symbol of the cosmic Christ.” Clement of Alexandria believed that “the Christ places under the sign of 8 the one he made to be born again.” For Pythagoreans, this number was a symbol of love, friendship, prudence and thinking. The Japanese also associate eight with prosperity.

Wikipedia lists many religious associations with the number eight. The Dharmacakra (Buddhist “Wheel of Life”) has eight spokes, representing the Noble Eightfold Path. In Judaism, brit milah (circumcision) takes place on the eighth day of the baby boy’s life. Shemini Atzeret, otherwise known as the “Eighth Day of Assembly,” immediately follows the seven days of Sukkot. In Christianity, the Sermon on the Mount includes eight Beatitudes. Islam tells of eight angels that carry “the Holy Throne of Allah” in the heavens.

In the Wiccan Wheel of the Year there are eight Sabbats (“festivals, seasons, or spokes”). The Hindu Goddess Lakshmi “has eight forms.” Eight is also a number that is commonly used in Scientology (as in OT8, “the highest level”).

So what’s not to like? Unfortunately, even some of the luckiest people find themselves behind the eight ball at times. Astronlogia.com reports that “the revolutionary 8 in numerology” is believed to sometimes bring “more misfortune and pain than good.” Although the numerological influence of Saturn can allegedly bestow great wisdom and saintliness, Astronlogia.com warns that it can also bring “pain, violence, sufferings, mishaps, losses, delays, failures, inferior nature, suicidal nature, and renunciation in terms of its negative traits.”

Resources

http://www.ridingthebeast.com/numbers/nu8.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numbers_in_Chinese_culture

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8_(number)

http://astronlogia.com/2009/07/29/the-power-of-number-8-in-numerology/

http://www.ehow.com/video_4466880_power-number-8-numerology.html

Friday, February 10, 2012

Celibacy: Good for what ails you?

(Facial Composite of St. Paul by LKA NRW)

Not only does romantic love sometimes hurt emotionally, but it can also take its toll physically.

MSN Health asks “Are you allergic to love?” – then proceeds to list six possible reasons why you might be. Having a drink “to get in the mood” can trigger “sneezing and wheezing” from the sulfites commonly found in wine and beer. Liplocking with someone who ate a peanut butter sandwich within the last 16 to 24 hours can be hazardous to the health of a peanut-sensitive partner. Not wanting to disturb the mood while your lover lights up a smoke can disturb your lungs instead. Using a fragrance to offset the smoke can have similar consequences. If you’ve survived all that and are still heading towards intimacy, bear in mind that bodily secretions and latex can also be allergens.

It’s no wonder that celibacy has been viewed as a shortcut to heaven. Celibacy is often narrowly defined as an avoidance of sexual intimacy, but it can also entail a general avoidance of romantic relationships. The word itself derives from the Latin term caelebs, meaning “unmarried” – which in turn derives from two Proto-Indo European components, kaiwelo (“alone”) and lib(h)s (“living”). Wikipedia also reports that many cultures have “venerated celibacy in certain individuals,” seeing it as a “form of discipline to be admired.”

For Saint Paul, celibacy went way beyond sexual abstinence. He viewed sex within marriage as natural – even “proper and necessary”; however, he viewed marriage itself as a potential barrier to fully focusing upon Christ. Saint Jerome’s definition of celibacy included thoughts and desires, as well. Today’s Christian evangelicals instead often use the term “abstinence,” and emphasize “refraining from premarital sex and focusing upon the joys of a future marriage.”

Buddhism has a long history of celibate adherents, as does Hinduism. Islam heralds marriage as a “sacred

spiritual bond,” but condemns premarital sex.

Resources

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/allergies/are-you-allergic-to-love?imageindex=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celibacy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Charles Liu: An astrophysicist's take on God et al.

Black Hole Simulation (by Alain r)

When you’re an accountant, people don’t often interrupt your morning cup of coffee to ask whether there’s a God. However - when you’re an astrophysicist, questions like that are par for the course.

Astrophysicist Charles Liu has therefore formulated his top three responses to the top three questions that people ask. The God conundrum is definitely one that inquiring minds want to solve. Right up there with it are these other two: Are aliens fact or fiction? Will falling into a black hole substantially change human anatomy?

Liu was kind enough to share his responses with Natalie Wolchover of Life’s Little Mysteries. For those who are satisfied with their mirror image, leaping into a black hole may not be a wise choice. Liu explains that a black hole’s gravitational pull is like the moon’s – only waaay more so. Just as the moon pulls one side of the Earth more than the other, the black hole pulls one end of the body waaay more than the other. Therefore - if someone jumped in feet first, his or her shoe size would increase dramatically.

Late-night talk show callers will be excited to learn that some of their hunches regarding aliens are likely to be correct. Liu explains: “The universe is so vast, and the laws of nature are so consistent throughout that vast universe, that the chances of life developing in only one place in that entire universe is essentially zero.” Does this mean that every last Roswell story is true? Not necessarily. Liu thinks that it could be centuries to never before actual contact is made.

Last - but very far from least - is there a God? Liu’s response to this is far less definitive. In fact, he has no answer - claiming instead that “science in general and astronomy in particular do not address the question of whether or not there is a God.” Liu also emphasizes that the Big Bang theory neither proves nor disproves that God exists - but rather allows for speculation regarding both possibilities.

Nevertheless, Liu perceives the universe to be “beautiful, complex and fascinating.” How did it get that way? Liu readily admits that he doesn’t know.

Resources

http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/1545-top-3-questions-people-ask-astrophysicist-answers.html

http://www.amnh.org/learn/pd/physical_science/profiles/cliu.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrophysics

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_hole

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Narcissistic men: Nemesis awaits

Narcissus (Painting by Caravaggio)

“Father of History” Herodotus was fond of pointing out that God’s lightning bolts “fall ever on the highest houses and the tallest trees.” This would be the Ancient Greek equivalent of “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”

Back in Herodotus’ day, the word on the street was that

Nemesis was somehow involved. At least that’s what was said about Narcissus. Wikipedia describes Narcissus as a mythological hunter who was “renowned for his beauty,” but his arrogance (known then as hubris) exceeded even his comeliness. He was particularly poor at loving anyone or anything that wasn’t himself. How surprised he must have therefore felt to fall in love with an image that he thought was someone else.

As the story goes, Narcissus was out walking one sunny day when his own reflection gazed back at him from a pond’s glassy surface. Because his brain was nowhere near as fully developed as his biceps, Narcissus did not realize that this lovely stranger was, in fact, just a quirk of physics (as well we all might be). He therefore felt a new sensation welling up from his toes to his nose. “Egads!” thought he. “This must be love.”

Tragically, it was only Nemesis (Goddess of Payback-is-a-You-Know-What) whose own hubris drove her to give everyone just what she thought they had coming. When Nemesis learned of Narcissus’ EGO problem, her immediate response was “I’ll fix him – er, it!” This she accomplished by luring him to the pond,

watching him make a predictable fool of himself, then leaving him there to drown in his sorrows forever.

The modern-day version of this sad tale can be found in (of all places) Medical News Today. A January 24,

2012 article titled “Narcissistic Men May Pay With Their Health” reports on a new study which suggests that “even when such men are not under stress, they have high levels of cortisol in their bloodstream, increasing their risk for developing cardiovascular problems.” Although this might not be quite as torturous as leaning over a pond forever, it can be every bit as lethal.

Resources

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240692.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemesis_(mythology)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissus_(mythology)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubris

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus