As I try to deal with some emotions and make sense of others, I’ve been thinking about the brain a lot (not The Brain, although I have been enjoying this, too) and about the cerebral cortex, as described by my science boyfriend Carl Sagan:

The cerebral cortex is a liberation. We need no longer be trapped in the genetically inherited patterns of lizards and baboons…No longer at the mercy of the reptile brain, we can change ourselves.

The “reptile brain” is in charge of aggression and territoriality and a host of other things that the cerebral cortex can overcome, a comforting thought.

Naturally, I was delighted by this “Ode to the Brain” from Symphony of Science (the same people who brought you this) which contains that Sagan quote, along with lots more good stuff.

Because the reptile brain isn’t in charge!