The Arts and our Limbic System

(Published in the October 2009 East Bay Psychiatric Association Newsletter)


Heart racing, throat tight, eyes brimming—one leaves a theatre or a concert after an exquisite performance, or puts down a gripping novel at its conclusion, and exclaims—“That was great!”

What is it about cultural experiences like this that can so activate emotions for which we have no words, but which elevate us? We know that we feel something satisfying, even though we may be near tears and can hardly speak, but we do not know precisely what we feel.

There are certain “windows” into our brains that bypass our cognitive processes and touch us directly at the seat of our emotions, which resides in our limbic system. When excellence prevails in a concert or a well-crafted film or in literature, we become emotionally exposed to feelings that we normally defend against, but which we yearn for. When we are able to find such a window into this seat of our emotions, we will pay top dollar for the experience, because it is part of what makes us feel alive and makes life worth living.

Recently I read an essay from an old New Yorker magazine (“Enough” by Alice McDermott, 2002) that so absorbed me about the desires of a fictional woman throughout her life span that I read it three times. Something about that essay captured the essence of what life is about that it gave me perspective on my own life, my own desires, and indeed on my own humanity—a lot more than I anticipated from a short piece of creative writing.

Unfortunately, the arts and cultural activities have become de-emphasized in our society. Much of this lies with our economic system that above all encourages job productivity and expansion of our gross national product. This de-emphasis can contribute to lives that for many people become reduced to simply making money at a job and then spending it on essentials, leaving no time or resources for a cultural life. And it appears that schooling is becoming more about students learning to master facts and pass standardized tests than inspiring them to love learning and appreciate cultural and artistic aspects of the world in which they live. One-size-fits-all education for children and monotonous jobs for adults is no way to develop a society that aspires to greatness.

The ability of the arts to enhance our lives is so powerful that I once heard someone exclaim after hearing a Puccini aria, “Man, you know there’s a God!” This is a magnificent metaphor for what an artistic experience can provide for someone emotionally. It makes me realize that no matter what one does to make a living, it is incumbent on him or her to balance that with a cultural life--it’s no less essential than that!