Maggie's Farm

Default brain is an interesting way to think of it. I have always thought of it more in terms of brain for danger and brain for cooperation. Difficult situations in childhood do push children into a mentality geared more for individual survival, which likely had some reproductive advantage during our evolution. This is, as the article notes (okay, the part that I read, anyway) measurable in brain structure.

It raises interesting questions about how much more brain development we might all have if we did not have to devote cortical resources to basic survival and danger avoidance. But such development might in turn result in humans who could achieve marvelous things in cooperative situations, but be unable to deal with sudden danger or trauma.

It occurs to me that this provides partial explanation why the two types do not empathise with each other easily. Those who were injured, neglected or traumatized would have trouble understanding the actions of the cooperators and misattribute motives. The cooperators would not fully understand how angry and primal the default brain can be.

The disconnect between Western civilization and our current enemies may partly stem from this.