（说明：英文撰写，后译为中文，中文翻译保留英文文法，以便以英文的思维来阅读中文文字，不求此文向大众公开传播）

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什么是镜像神经元？

What is Mirrrio Neurons?

1992年，人类在大脑中的前运动皮层，辅助运动区域，初级体感皮层和下顶叶皮层中发现了镜像神经元。

In humans, brain activity consistent with that of mirror neurons has been found in the premotor cortex, the supplementary motor area, the primary somatosensory cortex, and the inferior parietal cortex.

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​其作用：

镜像神经元理论认为脑神经元与同情心有密切关联，认为这些脑细胞在人类“视网膜所获取的信息”和语言中作用巨大，起着关键性作用和发挥着巨大的超强能力......更多体现在模仿（mimic）和匹配外界情绪（match moods），以通过面部表情和行为作实施传递，表现为同理心，模仿心的各种行为。

The mirror neurons theory suggests neurons might be involved in feelings of empathy, while others think these brain cells play critical roles in human abilities like speech. We tend to mimic and match moods, facial expressions, and behavior as empathy.

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关键词：

• 镜像神经系统（mirror neuron system）

• 同理性（empathy）

• 模仿（mimicry）

• 沟通（connection）

• ​色情（porn）

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美国色情产业之大，非人们所预料。每年，美国人大约要花费40亿美元用于视频色情，这使得该行业比赫赫有名的NFL.，和NBA还要巨大，包括家喻户晓的美国棒球大联盟。当人们在有线卫星电视，电话性爱和色情杂志，以及互联色情网络按次付费时，色情业务估计每年总计在200亿美元到240亿美元之间，此乃惊人的数字，连全球制药行业的龙头老大年销售额也不过最多130亿美元。正如弗兰克里奇教授所指出的那样，“人们一年在美国色情网站上花掉的钱远比在电影票上花的钱多，也超过了在所有表演艺术上的花费。”美国国家数据局统计，性网站占所有互联网流量的百分之四十八。

Porn is a big business. Every year, Americans spend $4 billion on video pornography, which makes the industry larger than the N.F.L., the N.B.A. or Major League Baseball. When you include Internet Web sites, porn networks and pay-per-view movies on cable and satellite, phone sex, and magazines, the porn business is estimated to total between $10 billion and $14 billion annually. As Frank Rich notes, "People spend more money for pornography in America in a year than they do on movie tickets, more than they do on all the performing arts combined." Sex sites are estimated to account for up to forty-eight percent of all Internet traffic.

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科学家认为，色情确实通过镜像神经元释放来刺激多巴胺的产生，但与阿片类药物和巧克力的方式大不相同。这种差异改变了我们必须采取理解和接触色情为一种习惯的生活方式。它也是缓解和治疗抑郁最好方式之一。此乃后现代主义解放了人们的思想，对于不乐意接受这种生活习惯的人群，与其文化信仰或保守思想有关。但是科学仅仅关心的是确定性概念，或者基于数据（data），而不像诗人，抽象画画家，哲学家那样的自由旅行各自的思想，有时候，这些人文主义者就像一群加拿大野鹅一样漫无方向，但科学家不求模糊或模棱两可的概念。

Porn does stimulate the production of dopamine, but in a much different way than opioids and chocolate. This difference changes the way we must approach kicking this habit. It reduces and benifits depression. The idea of post-modernism librate us from traditional way particularly, in some degree of religous way. If this habit does not work for you, it may be of your religous believe or of their conservitive lifestyle. Neuronists believe in data, accurate figures, poets, abstract artists, philosiphers are romantic travellers, they can make their own journeys fun like wild goose chase. 

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Porn and Mirror Neurons

• JOHN MORGAN

Curator|Professor of Chinese language and culture...

 

Narrator:

I was a teen when my mother and I accidentally watched a low-grade porn movie together. I remember stiffening and freezing and I think my mother blurted something to ease the situation.

I am sure many of you connect with similar situations.

No, this is not about social debate on porn or sex for that matter – whether it is sexual freedom, individual preference or a moral issue.

This is about the neurology of watching porn.

Going back to the initial anecdote, why did I freeze? I wasn’t doing the deed; somebody on the screen was doing it. So why was I feeling as if I had done something wrong?

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An easy explanation would be socialization and taboo around sex.

Let us look at it from a neurological point of view.

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Research finds that when a person views a porn image/movie, the mirror neurons are activated. Mirror neuron system is an important evolutionary component of Theory of Mind which is the ability of humans to read the other person (their beliefs, intent, motivation and action). There is a body of research on just mirror neuron system which provides a fascinating insight on how we work socially.

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Here is what happens during porn viewing. In a process akin to synesthesia, visual sensory inputs are converted into motor neuron activity through the mirror neuron system (Refer to V.S. Ramachandran’s work on synesthesia as well as mirror neurons). The person feels s/he is the subject doing the deed.

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[In NLP terminology, the word "association" is often used. Neurologically, association is that sense you are the subject doing the action (verb) in relation to an object. You are associated either if you are actually doing the action or your mirror-neurons have activated and the subject-ownership has occurred.]

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This association doesn’t happen always. For example, if you are eating my favourite chocolate, I might start salivating and desiring to procure a chocolate, but there is a null signal that alerts me that you are eating that piece of chocolate, not I.

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However, due to both the powerful ancient biological pull, the need to activate the excitatory pleasure system, the guaranteed dopamine-induced reward at the end of the process, the association into porn is high. One does not get, what Norman Doidge refers to as the satisfaction coming from actually having sex. Sex releases endorphins and gives “peaceful euphoric bliss.” On the other hand, in porn viewing, the person stays on the excitatory pleasure loop.

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Significantly, it is found brain maps change with frequent viewing of porn (read Norman Doidge’s work as well as William Struther’s book. Ignore the Christian underpinnings and moralising in Struther’s work and focus on the brain maps). The process for the layperson is as below: In a porn, specific visual and auditory sensory inputs are provided in a story format. This once processed, pulls in other memories, moves through pleasure and reward centre and becomes the chocolate you crave for. 

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The dynamics of actually having sex which includes many unpredictable visual, auditory and kinesthetic inputs, besides the interaction of memories to the new inputs requires brain to use many of its parts to achieve the satisfaction.

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By removing the interpersonal dynamics and instead installed with ready-made circuit of pleasure, the ability of person to enjoy sex in other ways decreases. The person recreates it in actual encounters and demands the partner offer it as per the existing script (what is known as porn sex). There is also a desire for the partner to fit in with the porn image (Can you sense the connection of body image and sex?).

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Porn is a loaded word; it automatically invokes social histories of meaning. Let us drop this word.

Instead, let us reflect on how some of us binge-view certain romantic movies.

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The person connects with a character and the mirror-neuron system is activated. Thereafter depending on how well the story is told, the viewer experiences the movie as a personal journey. When the said character is able to partner up and live happily ever after, a neurological script is also prepared. What kind of partner will be satisfying? What should happen for that moment to arrive? What is it to be desired?

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When the current relationship fails to give the same bursts of pleasure, the person is left unsatisfied.

 

Let us move to violent movies/animations and video-games. There have been many studies done on whether viewing violent movies/animation or playing video games increase proclivity to violence in the viewer/player. These research studies have differed and are inconclusive. Some studies argue it provides cathartic release in the subject and hence decrease possibility of violence in real life. A recent neuroscience research showed that playing violent games did not increase violent behavior nor decrease empathy.

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Here is the thing – empathy is built on mirror neuron system. 

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Playing the video games is also built, to an extent, on the same mirror neuron system. The player associates him/herself into game (becomes the doer of actions). Logically, the process sharpens the system. 

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(There are issues like mirror neurons usually activate to animate beings, not things; how does brain differentiate imagination and reality; the fact the player actually has control on the game)

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I think the process could be studied differently -- research how playing violent games normalizes violence or not. Once brain has experienced killing/blowing a person, logically a neural circuitry is laid out. It has been done once. 

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The number of men who attempt or complete suicide is higher than women worldwide. What is more important to note is that men often choose more violent methods for suicide than women. And those who have been in professions or social environment that involved violence are more likely to take their lives. Violence is normalized in their lives.

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I squeam around violence in movies. I cry, shudder and in one case, I threw up. Recently, I decided to work on it by viewing plenty of violent movies. I succeeded by focusing on technical details – what make up does a thumb need as it is being sliced, what kind of lighting, setting and how did they create it, sound effects, and how does camera pan to establish the severing of thumb did happen. I began to appreciate the meticulous work and artistry behind such movies (my belief that some violent scenes are stupid remains).

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Consider now, that you are therapist/counselor/coach and your client is seated before you, telling you his/her issues. If your mirror neurons are activated, you associate and become the subject of your client’s story, invoking memories of similar situations, can you think resourcefully to help him/her to move/free/unstuck from situation?

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This is why quality NLP trainers insist on focusing on structure, not on content. 

Focus on their eye movements, face, gestures, physiology (what in NLP is called sensory acuity) and the language (exact words aka the NLP Metamodel, sequence of words, metaphors, silence, vocal intonations). 

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Your job is not to make them feel good or feel bad for their suffering; it is to help them move out of their stuck situation.

Use all parts of your brain resourcefully. weaveyourlights :-)