Secrets of our brain

At the Non/fiction International Fair of Intellectual Literature, our magazine is hosting a roundtable meeting inspired by Dick Swaab’s We Are Our Brains, which has just been released in Russia by Ivan Limbach. Dick Swaab agreed to answer a few questions for us.

Psychologies: You describe in detail how the brain forms a person from the first glimpses of consciousness to his disappearance into oblivion. But what is the impact of the environment on our brain in the very first years of life? What is inherent in us genetically, and what is subject to “correction” and development?

Dik Svaab: Man comes into the world with a brain that, by virtue of his genetic make-up and prenatal development, is unique, and in which his character, talents, and limitations are already largely imprinted. A child’s environment, which not only provides him with safety, but also sets him achievable tasks, stimulates the growth of his brain. In children who were completely neglected at an early stage of development, the brain is reduced; they retain limitations throughout their lives, among other things – in intelligence, language and fine motor skills, they are impulsive and hyperactive. The lack of a developing environment, psychologically comfortable contact with loved ones primarily affects the reduction of the prefrontal cortex of the brain. On the other hand, orphans adopted before the age of two may subsequently reach an IQ of 100, while those adopted between the ages of two and six remain at an IQ of 80. A highly stimulating, enriching environment promotes recovery of brain developmental disorders. Children who are stunted at an early stage due to malnutrition or neglect may show dramatic improvement if they are placed early in a more stimulating environment. Children with Down Syndrome also perform well when given intense environmental stimulation. Mental retardation should not be a reason for placing children in a special shelter or other less stimulating environment. Quite the opposite. Special attention should be paid to the stimulating development of mentally retarded children. This will change their whole subsequent life.

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What role does language acquisition and speech development play in brain development?

D.S.: Mastery of the mother tongue not only leaves a clear imprint on the development of the brain, it is decisive for the many-sided development in childhood. Frederick II, emperor of Germany, Italy, Burgundy and Sicily, in 1211 wanted to learn the language of God and thought that it would show itself if the children did not hear any human speech. The emperor ordered that dozens of children be brought up in complete silence. But the language of God was never revealed to them. Children could not speak at all and died at an early age. Language and cultural environment determine not only which brain systems are involved in speech processing, but also exactly how facial expressions can be interpreted; how people are used to, glancing around, grasping the image and what surrounds them. Thus, the Japanese and the inhabitants of New Guinea cannot distinguish well whether the face expresses fear or surprise, and the Chinese, in contrast to the Americans, focus not only on the most important subject, but also consider it in relation to the immediate environment.

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You say that during the period of early development, the religion of our parents takes root in our brain in the same way as our native language. And that certain chemical neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, play a role in our religiosity. How exactly do the serotonin receptors in the brain correlate with the level of spirituality? Does religious practice increase the number of these receptors, or, conversely, does our inclination towards religion depend on the number of these neurotransmitters?

D.S.: Our susceptibility to religion is determined by our need for the spiritual, which, as the study of twins shows, is 50% genetically determined. Spirituality, a property that each of us possesses to one degree or another, does not at all mean a formal belonging to a particular church. Religion, on the other hand, is the localized shaping of our spiritual feelings. Thus, small differences in our DNA determine our receptivity to spiritual ideas. A few years ago, biochemist Dean Hamer of the US National Cancer Institute, after examining 2000 DNA samples, came to the conclusion that the VMAT2 gene is responsible for our level of spirituality and ability to believe in the divine presence. He described it in The God Gene (2005). The gene in question codes for a protein that plays a fundamental role in many brain functions. But since this is, in all likelihood, only one of the few genes involved in shaping our spirituality, it is better to call it “One of the genes of God.”

What is the difference between the spiritual and the religious in a person for you?

D.S.: I define spirituality as the search for the sacred, sacred, that is, something that is different from the ordinary and worthy of worship. It is a property that all people possess to some degree, even if they do not belong to any church. And religion is a localized form of our spiritual experiences. From an evolutionary point of view, religion had and still has several advantages: it served as a means of unity in a group that provided protection and social contacts; in addition, observance of religious prescriptions (healthy lifestyle and healthy eating); believers are happier and more optimistic. God for a believer is the answer to everything that he does not know or does not understand. But I am convinced that in the future world of a globalized economy and an information society, religions will not retain their advantages and in the next hundreds of thousands of years they will lose their significance. Then, finally, spiritual values ​​will be freed from the narrow framework of outdated religious rules and become universal.