Good God I woke up in a bad mood this morning! I can't really explain it, but I was just frustrated from the get-go. I realized that I was very close to making everyone's day a misery, so I tried to calm down, and then after some Starbucks and a shower, I felt amazingly better. Strangely enough, the rest of the day was more fast-paced and stressful, and yet I felt completely fine. As I thought about it, I wonder how much in control of our emotions we are. How much can we change the way we feel by thinking about it? On the flip side, how much is biological? Were my initial feelings this morning the result of poor sleep, and remedied by my frapaccino, making my mood completely biological and out of my control? Or was it instead that I realized I was being a horror and wanted to calm down that brought me back to normal?
This line of thinking got me thinking about a lot of what we can and cannot control within ourselves. As if in response to my thoughts, Psychology Today, published an article in their current issue called "Cupid's Comeuppance." The reason for the article was to show how research indicates that a great deal of relationships are attributed to biological psychology, meaning of course that there is a decidedly minimum control in how we feel, and although we can choose what actions to take based upon our feelings, they are fueled almost entirely by chemical reactions in the body. If you want to read the full article, you can find it at: http://cms.psychologytoday.
I am not sure how I feel about this line of thinking. Lately, biology has become the science of choice, and its discoveries are far outstripping those of its counterparts. In many ways, this advancement is overdue. For a long time, the subject took a back seat to the rapid advancement of physics and chemistry. With the extensive research on genetics, it has been taken to new heights, and a lot more money is being thrown into it. Such money leads to research like that indicated in the article, as we search for the reasons for everything within ourselves.
I like the idea of advancing our knowledge, but I am not sure how I feel about what that information is saying about us. How much of who we are as a person can be attributed to different chemicals? Yet no matter how much I want to deny the findings, I know from first hand experience that certain chemical imbalances can change a person's personality entirely. Does this mean that we have no control?
Maybe its a little of both.Of course in order to believe that, you almost have to stretch the possibilities. If we are truly products of our biological makeup, and the brain controls the release of most of the chemicals in our body, wouldn't it be possible for us to control those releases ourselves? I don't know whether it would be a conscious or subconscious effort, but maybe if we think about it enough or desire it enough, we really can change the way that we feel by changing the chemicals that are released. Maybe we have been doing this all along and are only now just realizing it. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? All I know is that should this line of thinking prove even remotely true, then I think that we need to know more about the food we eat. How much hidden information could there be about what we eat. Chocolate is proven to release endorphins and make you happy. Turkey can make you sleepy. Is there food that can make you more sad? Or angry? Maybe some of the things we dislike about someone can go back to a bad diet. Hehe. Wouldn't that be interesting to find out.
Alright, enough of my random musings. I hope things are well with all of you, and also that you remember that I am simply ranting about random things, so only put so much stock into what you read here. ;) Well, until next time...
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