A

62 A Programmer’s Guide to the Mind

Turning our attention now to the front of the cortex, some evidence
specifically linking the right orbitofrontal cortex to the Mercy internal
world does exist. For instance, one researcher mentions that “...patients
who are restless, impulsive, explosive, self indulgent, inappropriate,
sexually disinhibited, little concerned for others...are more likely to have
right orbitofrontal lesions.” 4 These undesirable traits can be summarized as
emotional reactions to experiences without the help of a set of emotional
guidelines.
Most of the evidence,
though, looks at the right and
left orbitofrontal cortices as a
complete system. For
example, “Few patients who
sustain major frontal lobe
lesions ever engage in
creative endeavors or in the
pursuit of meaningful
interpersonal relationships.
Taste, in the aesthetic and social sense, is a trait that the frontal-lobe-
damaged patient will find difficult or impossible to cultivate...We believe
this set of behavioral abnormalities is strongly associated with lesions of
the orbitofrontal region and not at all with the more superior dorsolateral or
mesial lesions.” 5
We have looked at the content of Mercy thought. Evidence suggests
that there is also a specific brain center which does the actual Mercy
processing. Neurology has found that buried within the temporal lobe is a
nucleus, called the amygdala, which processes feelings. As one researcher
states, “the amygdala mediates the encoding into memory of both positive
and negative emotional attributes associated with reinforcement
contingencies during a specific learning experience. A learning may be
encoded into memory by different neural systems, the amygdala encoding
the emotional attributes of the experience.” 6
This same volume mentions that when the amygdala is removed in
humans, “hyperactivity is said to decrease, fear and aggression harder to
provoke; emotional control enhanced, resulting in better concentration, a
steadier mood, and more rewarding social interactions...There can also be
problems: decreased spontaneity, productivity, and elaboration of emotion.
Amygdalectomy does not significantly impair general intellectual or
memory function.”
In other words, science, in its infinite wisdom, has determined that
humans can survive reasonably well without emotional processing. Scary,
isn‟t it? As we go through this book, we will see that this statement is not
an academic aberration. Rather, it defines the fundamental premise of
modern science: Humans do better without feelings.

Mercy

Automatic

Thought

Mercy

Internal

World

Amygdala

Right