Our Battling Brains

Do you think of yourself as having a single, unified personality? Most people do.

But in fact, if we examine our brains more closely, we see that this is an oversimplification: the brain comprises several subsystems that each have a different function, and that often compete for control over our behavior.

For example, we clearly have separate rational and emotional brain systems. As you might guess, the rational system is in charge of coolly and calmly analyzing situations, whereas the emotional system generates feelings like anger, fear, desire, and so forth.

Often the two are at odds, but both are necessary for a normal life. For example, if you lacked the emotional system, you would spend all your time overanalyzing the world around you, without being able to make even the simplest decision. Emotions may be swift and irrational, but they help you to quickly make the unimportant decisions needed in daily life.

The understanding that there are several subsystems in your brain competing for control of your behavior helps explain some peculiar phenomena.

For example, have you ever considered how bizarre it is for a person to curse at herself? This odd behavior can only be explained by the division in the brain: one faction of the brain is berating the other.

Or consider how odd it is for a smoker who wishes to quit to nevertheless keep smoking. Clearly it’s possible for one part of the brain to want to quit, while another strongly desires to continue.