Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Michael Shermer

Quote by Michael Shermer

“Of all the chemical transmitter substances sloshing around in your brain, it appears that dopamine may be the most directly related to the neural correlates of belief. Dopamine, in fact, is critical in association learning and the reward system of the brain that Skinner discovered through his process of operant conditioning, whereby any behavior that is reinforced tends to be repeated. A reinforcement is, by definition, something that is rewarding to the organism; that is to say, it makes the brain direct the body to repeat the behavior in order to get another positive reward.”

Quote by Michael Shermer

Book:The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths
Create image

Work

The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths

Browse quotes and source details for this work. more

Author

Michael Shermer
Michael Shermer

Michael Shermer is an American writer, historian, and science writer. Born on September 8, 1954, he is known for his research on science, pseudoscience, and rational behavior. Shermer is a contributing writer for 'Scientific American' magazine and the founder and publisher of 'Skeptic' magazine. His writings cover a wide range of topics from history to scientific philosophy. more

You May Also Like

“It's called Gelotology. (Because it gives you Gelo Belly?) Beyond a giggle, a titter, a chuckle, and way past groaning (although groaning has its profound effects as well), it shakes your very corpuscles, a good belly laugh. It releases endorphins, stimulates the body's painkillers, increases neuropeptides which boosts the immune system, expands blood vessels. What????? It relaxes tension and makes you feel happier no matter what the current conditions.”

HappinessConditionsRelaxationImmune SystemGiggleEndorphinsPainkillersLaughing GasChuckleBelly Laugh
Author:Shellen Lubin
Create image

“Fitur tombol alami untuk kesenangan pada manusia" *** Ada 20 hormon kebahagiaan di dalam tubuh manusia. Salah satunya beta-Endorfin (β-Endorfin), sejenis narkotika alami yang dibentuk di otak dan memiliki efek analgesik sangat kuat. Efek kerja β-Endorfin 500 kali lebih poten daripada morfin sintetis. Dan... Beta-Endorfin punya pengaruh besar terhadap kesehatan. Endorfin memberikan kenyamanan baik secara fisik (terutama dalam mengontrol rasa nyeri), maupun secara emosional dengan hadirnya perasaan senang (euphoria), gembira, dan damai. Dan, tidak seperti narkotik sintetis yang menimbulkan efek samping tidak nyaman serta membahayakan; (seperti mual, gatal-gatal, konstipasi saluran pencernaan, hingga depresi nafas), endorfin tidak memiliki efek samping yang buruk ataupun efek ketergantungan (adiktif). Namun untuk dapat mengeluarkan zat berharga ini, perlu ada stimulasi ekstra. Ada beberapa aktivitas yang dikenal kini dapat memancing keluarnya hormon endorfin, antara lain makan (terutama saat menyantap menu kesukaan), berolahraga, melakukan hubungan pasutri, dan bermeditasi (dzikir). Tapi, menariknya,... hormon ini ternyata juga keluar sesuai cara kita merespons kejadian atau memaknai suatu peristiwa atau berkaitan dengan kondisi tertentu, seperti perasaan diterima di komunitas.Lebih lanjut endorfin pun bersangkut paut dengan kegembiraan, kesabaran dalam mengatasi kesulitan hidup. Dan yang lebih menarik lagi, kemampuan seseorang melakukan hal-hal altruistis, semisal memperjuangkan keadilan dan kesejahteraan bagi orang lain, juga memantik pengeluaran hormon istimewa ini. Informasi sainsnya, endorfin jika telah keluar, tidak memiliki efek umpan baliknya terhadap tubuh. Berbeda dengan "hormon-hormon emergency” (mis: adrenaline, nor adrenaline) yang punya efek samping membahayakan bila terpacu secara intens dan berlebihan bagi tubuh, sehingga selalu ada mekanisme kompensasi untuk menyeimbangkan atau menetralkannya. Keberadaan hormon ajaib seperti endorfin ini sebetulnya menjadi bukti yang terang benderang bahwa secara biologis manusia dibekali fitur untuk dapat merasakan bahagia secara alami. (buku Cinta, Kesehatan, dan Munajat Emha Ainun Nadjib, halaman 90). ********* *) Jangan salah pilih opioid (narkotika), Tuhan telah sediakan koq secara alami dalam tubuh kita.”

Endorphins
Book:Cinta, Kesehatan dan Munajat Emha Ainun Nadjib
Create image

“Did hope help us to survive, or not? Too many families clung to it all through the war, thus falling into the enemy's trap. But would they have survived without hope? Hope is sometimes unworthy of us, Tamar said, but despair is even worse if it kills the will to act, to confront events, to protest evil, to shout, No! We are not blind, we will not submit! If the absurd exists, we will respond. With reason or with more absurdity—but we'll respond.”

ReasonActionEvilHopeDespairResponseProtestAbsurdity
Book:The Forgotten
Create image

“You say you want more sleeping pills?" "Yes." "But the ones I gave you last week are very strong." "They don't work any more." […] "What seems to be the matter?" Teresa said then. "I can't sleep. I can't read." I tried to speak in a cool, calm way, but the zombie rose up in my throat and choked me off. I turned my hands palm up. "I think," Teresa tore off a white slip from her prescription pad and wrote down a name and address, "you'd better see another doctor I know. He'll be able to help you more than I can." I peered at the writing, but I couldn't read it. "Doctor Gordon," Teresa said. "He's a psychiatrist.”

StrongZombiePillsPsychiatrySleepingDoctorCan T SleepCan T Read
Book:the bell jar
Create image

“Perhaps the future did not need to be planned- she could just take it one day at a time. As long as she had Cassian at her side, her friends with her, she could do it. Face it. They wouldn't let her fall back into that pit. Cassian would never let her fall again. But if she did fall... he'd be waiting for her at the top again. Hand outstretched. She didn't deserve it, but she'd endeavour to be worthy of him.”

FutureDepressionSarah J MaasCassianNesta ArcheronNestaA Court Of Silver FlamesDepression RecoveryDay By Day
Book:A ​Court of Silver Flames
Create image

“Do you feel like your action plans are stronger to than your capability? Just take a moment a draw a plan of how to deal with the difficult task with a single bite at each time. Go slow, but sure!”

StrongDifficultPlansStrengthCapableTasksDifficultyStrongerIsraelmore AyivorStrongestCapabilityActionsMomentSingleFeelLittleDealSureBiteDay By DayMake A PlanPlan Your LifeGo SlowAction PlansDraw A PlanMake A DealSmall SmallSingle Bite
Book:The Great Hand Book of Quotes
Create image