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| Is our capability to interact with others a result of learning from culture, experiences and socialization? Or is it in first place an expression of underlying neurobiological processes? The term neuroception describes how neural circuits in the nervous system distinguish whether situations or people are safe and trustworthy, dangerous or life threatening. In other words neuroception is the neurological basis of perception, it involves primitive parts of the brain and occurs largely without the intervention of our consciousness. A neuroception of psychological safety and trust, namely an unconscious perception of positive expectations about oneself, the environment and others, lowers stress responses and promotes our social capabilities by fostering the activation of the Social Engagement System, a functional neurological structure favouring positive social contacts and interactions. Contrary a perception of a lack of safety and trust forces our social capabilities to retract due to the prevailing action of the Sympathetic Nervous System, a system promoting fight and flight responses, aggressiveness and metabolic activation, the typical signs of stress. |
A frequently inadequate neuroception will induce thus a constant activation of the Sympathetic Nervous System with the well known damages of long term stressful experiences. Unfortunately a mistaken neuroception is rather common in humans as our capabilities to perceive the environment and others are designed from an evolutionary point of view to cope with the physical threats of a primitive world rather than with the social ones characterizing modern societies. An imprecise neuroception leads us to interpret as a threat also those challenges that could otherwise be easily met by relying on social capabilities. And once neuroception has activated a neuro-physiological response aiming at physical survival, aggressive behaviors, anxiety and a constant metabolic activation cannot be avoided and might easily lead to a burn-out. For this reason it is vital to intervene at the neuro-physiological level to positively influence a behavioral change. |
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