week 7

To me, the brain is like a paintbrush while everything else is the canvas.  No function of the human body would be possible without the brain.  Thanks to advances in technology, today we are able to begin to understand the human brain.  Neuroscience is the understanding of the brains responses to different things.  Neuroscience is used a lot when it comes to art. 

(The jobs of the brain)

Although magic looks like a skill, it really is just an art.  The magicians are able to use neuroscience to make it seem as if they are doing something magical.  Magicians use the fact that, “Our brains don't see everything—the world is too big, too full of stimuli. So the brain takes shortcuts, constructing a picture of reality (Lehrer).”  So they make our brain think one thing, while they are really performing another action.  Magicians are able to perform these tricks because they study the brain and know how humans look at the world.  This shows in the Cups and balls trick by Penn and Teller.  They know that the brain is focusing on the moves going on, so they use that to their advantage.  They also know that the brain really does not process whats going on, this enables them to perform their trick.  Without neuroscience, the art of magic would be very difficult to perform.

Whenever dreams come to mind, first thing I think of is the movie inception.  In Inception each of the dreams are very thought out pieces of art.  Although we truly do not control our dreams, they still are pieces of art.  Neuroscience is used to explain this.  Neuroscience has explained that dreams are pieces of memory from the day put together.  It is said that , “the hippocampus “trains” the neural networks in other regions of the brain to store memories through repeated playback during sleep (malcom).”  Neuroscience shows how the brain is able to put all these memories together into one dream.  The dream represents the art.

These are only 2 examples of all neuroscience has shown us.  The brain also releases different chemicals, such as dopamine when it comes to the feeling of love (obringer).  That “high” people get while on drugs, is because drugs are able to alter the nerve cells in the brain (FAQ).  The brain interprets different colors differently, that influences the way people make their signs and even stop lights.  Overall neuroscience has allowed us to understand the brains responses to different things.  These responses influence art in the world today. 

(the brain seems to recognize red better)

bibliography

Maciver, Malcom. "Inception and the Neuroscience of Sleep : Science Not Fiction." Science Not Fiction. Kalmbach, 10 Aug. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.

Obringer, Lee Ann. "How Love Works." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.

FAQ: What Happens to Your Brain When You Take Drugs? | Phoenix House." FAQ: What Happens to Your Brain When You Take Drugs? | Phoenix House. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.

Lehrer, Jonah. "Magic and the Brain: Teller Reveals the Neuroscience of Illusion." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 20 Apr. 2009. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.

"Psychology - Ms. Vest's Class." Ms. Vest's Class. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.

"Man Given Multiple Enemas, Then Sedated, for Clenching Buttocks During Police Stop." The Joint Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.