The Behavioral Stack
Frankly #52
When this video is posted, I will be in the midst of a 5 week ‘limbic reset’ - a personal technology detox and group experience on shifting behavior away from ‘focus’ towards ‘awareness’. In this Frankly, I’d like to offer a personal reflection on ‘the behavioral stack’ in our bodies - and how this knowledge could be used as a guide toward more thoughtful behaviors.
The human body’s system has evolved through time and the layers were built sequentially, each interacting and reacting to the systems below it. By becoming aware of this and attempting to balance them from the bottom up, we could move away from the reactionary tendencies that many in our culture are now pulled towards.
How does an overstimulating, dopamine driven modern environment affect our brains ability to cope? How do our behaviors change when our systems are in a constant state of fear or dissatisfaction? What would the world look like if we spent more time reflecting and realigning rather than in perpetual fight, flight, or freeze mode? Is the behaviors in our own minds/bodies a microcosm of the broader challenges of the global macro human predicament?
In case you missed it…
This week, I was joined by Peter Brannen, science journalist and author specializing in Earth’s prior mass extinctions, to unpack our planet’s geologic history and what it can tell us about our current climate situation. Humans have become very good at uncovering the history of our planetary home - revealing distinct periods during billions of years of deep time that have disturbing similarities to our own present time.
If you appreciate The Great Simplification podcast…
Be sure to leave a review on your preferred podcast platform! Leaving reviews helps the podcast grow, which helps spread awareness of our systemic situation from experts in ecology, energy, policy, economics, technology, and community building so that we can better understand - and respond to - the challenges of the coming decade.
The Great Simplification podcast is produced by The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future (ISEOF), a 501(c)(3) organization. We want to keep all content completely free to view globally and without ads. If you’d like to support ISEOF and it’s content via donation, please use the link below.
Have a good reset, Nate!
Perhaps it's a vicious cycle. Our stressed environment stresses us. Stressed people stress the environment.
Much of what I needed to hear, when I needed it. Thank you.