THE MIND & BODY BLOG

You may have often heard the expression ‘ Men are from Mars and women are from Venus ,’ without reflecting upon its origin. The saying does not necessarily stem from the differences in the physical attributes of the human male and female forms, but has its roots in the way their brains function. Virtues like logic and reasoning are attributed to men, while creativity and empathy are considered synonymous with women. At times, however, you will find women not only participating but standing out in fields considered predominantly male territory. It’s common knowledge that many women display male traits and vice-versa. Therefore, while there are males who have excelled as painters, dancers and cooks, a number of women have also dominated male bastions like administration and politics. People of my age would recollect that Indira Gandhi was considered the only male member in the entire cabinet! More recently, notably over the last couple of decades, the Indian political scenario h...

Aristotle’s remark on humans, ‘Man is by nature, a social animal’ has remained one of the most remarkable observations about our functioning as a society. However, when social animals tend to behave pathologically or when they go out of bounds and turn rogue, they end up whipping up havoc, a situation which understandably does not augur well with a civilized society, and in effect a nation built on its sound premise. As a neurologist, while analysing the current upheavals in the social milieu of our nation, I tried to make sense of our surroundings and its happenings by presuming our brain is like a jungle, full of life subject to simultaneous growth and decay. The animals, ghosts, demons and sages invariably become a part of the brain’s synaptic network, which comprises of both the green areas and areas full of deadwood. The next question in the line of thought that arises is: Who rules the jungle? Is it the lion, who with his courage, conviction and aura of authority, g...