At our basis, we are composed of nervous systems with the primary nervous systems being the central and peripheral nervous systems (see Figure 1).
The central nervous system is composed of the brain and spinal cord, it is the thinking part of us. Whereas the peripheral nervous system is composed of the somatic and autonomic nervous systems, without us having to think about it, the somatic and autonomic nervous systems control basic body functions, muscles, and senses.
The autonomic nervous system has two branches, the parasympathetic and sympathetic. The parasympathetic branch calms us, whereas the sympathetic branch, often referred to as the “fight or flight” nervous system, is all about our personal survival: It immediately, automatically, and physiologically reacts to environmental stressors (see Figure 2).
Before going any further, I need to let you in on a little secret that only us neuroscientists know about. If you promise to keep this secret, then I will share it with you.
Promise?
Okay, the “fight or flight” nickname does not fully capture what the sympathetic nervous system is really doing.
Indeed, the sympathetic nervous system does react to negative environmental stressors associated with fighting and flighting, but it also reacts to positive environmental stressors associated with eating and sex.
So, ready for the secret? The sympathetic nervous system should not be narrowly nicknamed the fight or flight nervous system, instead, to be accurate, it should be nicknamed the fight, flight, feed, or f*&% nervous system. 😊
To continue, the sympathetic nervous system is incapable of determining what type of environmental stressor it is reacting to.
It physiologically reacts in the same fashion whether it is involved in a road-rage incident, a lion is chasing after it, it is craving a Whopper-with-cheese, or a lover is embracing it.
It takes the central nervous system, specifically the brain, to determine whether the stressor is related to fighting (“You cut me off!”), flighting (“Run away!”), feeding (“Mmm, broiled instead of fried.”), or sex (“I love you.”)
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Dr. Don Lucas, Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology and head of the Psychology Department at Northwest Vista College in San Antonio Texas. He loves psychology, teaching, and research.
If you like this story, then check out Don’s videos on his YouTube channel, 5MIweekly: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQFQ0vPPNPS-LYhlbKOzpFw/, like him on Facebook: http://fb.me/5MIWeekly, and check out his website: http://5Miweekly.com
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